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Lee Ki-poong

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.
Lee Ki-poong
이기붕
Lee in 1954
3rd Minister of National Defense
In office
7 May 1951 – 29 March 1952
PresidentSyngman Rhee
Preceded byShin Song-mo
Succeeded byShin Tae-young
3rd Mayor of Seoul
In office
6 June 1949 – 8 May 1951
Preceded byYun Bo-seon
Succeeded byKim Taeson
Personal details
Born(1896-12-20)December 20, 1896
Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province, Joseon
DiedApril 28, 1960(1960-04-28) (aged 63)
Seoul, South Korea
Political partyLiberal
Children2
EducationTabor College (Iowa)[1]
Lee Ki-poong
Hangul
이기붕
Hanja
李起鵬
RRI Gibung
MRI Kibung

Lee Ki-poong [also spelled as Yi Ki-bong or Lee Gi-bung][2][3] (20 December 1896 – 28 April 1960) was a South Korean politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1954 to 1960 during which he was also serving as Speaker of the assembly,[4][5] the Minister of National Defense from May 1951 to March 1952 (during which Lee presented a proposal to enhance the capabilities of the South Korean army),[6] and the Mayor of Seoul from June 1949 to May 1951. Lee was a supporter of President Syngman Rhee and the leader of the Liberal Party, the ruling party of South Korea under Rhee during the First Republic from 1948 to 1960. By the 1954 election (which he failed to qualify as Vice President),[7] Lee became the most prominent member of the Liberal Party, and was considered one of Rhee's closest right-hand men.[8]

Lee was elected Vice President of South Korea in the controversial March 1960 presidential election where Rhee was elected to his third term as President of South Korea. Both won by a very wide margin, and the election was widely condemned in South Korea for election rigging amid growing public opposition to Rhee's corrupt and authoritarian rule, but noteworthy is that prior to the student movement Lee was disliked by the public.[9] As a result, the April Revolution took place in mid-April 1960, which resulted in Rhee resigning on April 26, 1960 and fleeing the country. Lee resigned before taking office as Vice President elect,[10] but the results of the March election were invalidated and the office itself was later abolished in June.

Seemingly after the whole ordeal Lee had suffered from a case of "creeping paralysis" which was used to explain his inability of assuming the role of Vice President.[11] On April 28, 1960, in an annex of Rhee's Seoul mansion, Lee and his family (wife named Maria and younger son named Lee Kong Wook) were shot killed by his eldest son, Army 2nd Lieutenant Lee Kang-seok (1937 – April 28, 1960) with a .45 caliber automatic handgun, who then killed himself in a murder–suicide.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Washington Reticent". 28 April 1960. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  2. ^ Eugene, Kim; Ke-soo, Kim (Mar 1964). "The April 1960 Korean Student Movement". The Western Political Quarterly. 17 (1). University of Utah: 83–92. doi:10.2307/445373. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  3. ^ Chosun, Daily (7 Jul 2008). "60 Years of the Republic: The End of Syngman Rhee's Rule". Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  4. ^ "Report to the United Nations Commission for the unification and rehabilitation of Korea" (PDF). digitallibrary.un.org. UN Library. 13 Oct 1960. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  5. ^ Madeline, Chi; Smith, Louis; LaFantasie, Glenn (1994). "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Japan; Korea, Volume XVIII" (Document). Washington: United States Government Printing Office.
  6. ^ Jinhyouk, Kim (31 Dec 2023). "Development and Influence of Military Medicine during the Korean War: the Medical Field Service School and Training in the U.S.†". Korean Journal of Medical History. 32 (3): 891–930. doi:10.13081/kjmh.2023.32.891.
  7. ^ Eugene, Kim; Ke-soo, Kim (Mar 1964). "The April 1960 Korean Student Movement". The Western Political Quarterly. 17 (1). University of Utah: 83–92. doi:10.2307/445373. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  8. ^ Kim 2021, p. 237.
  9. ^ Eugene, Kim; Ke-soo, Kim (Mar 1964). "The April 1960 Korean Student Movement". The Western Political Quarterly. 17 (1). University of Utah: 83–92. doi:10.2307/445373. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Rhee Yields; Will Step Out Sets Up New Korea Elections As 100,000 Riot In Capital". osupublicationarchives.osu.edu. The Ohio State University. 26 April 1960.
  11. ^ "South Korean Election" (PDF). www.cia.gov. NSC. 16 Mar 1960. p. 3.
  12. ^ "Ousted Korean Vice President Dies with Family". cdnc.ucr.edu. Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research. 28 April 1960. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  13. ^ "SOUTH KOREA: Quick to Wrath". content.time.com. 9 May 1960. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  14. ^ Choy, Bong-youn (1971). Korea: A History. Tuttle Publishing. p. 352. ISBN 9781462912483.
  15. ^ Oh, John Kie-chiang (1999). Korean Politics: The Quest for Democratization and Economic Development. Cornell University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0801484588.
  16. ^ Eugene, Kim; Ke-soo, Kim (Mar 1964). "The April 1960 Korean Student Movement". The Western Political Quarterly. 17 (1). University of Utah: 83–92. doi:10.2307/445373. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  17. ^ Chosun, Daily (7 Jul 2008). "60 Years of the Republic: The End of Syngman Rhee's Rule". Retrieved 12 November 2025.

Further reading

[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the National Assembly
June 9, 1954–April 28, 1960 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of National Defence
May 7, 1951–March 29, 1952 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Seoul
June 6, 1949–May 8, 1951 		Succeeded by
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