Lee Wan-koo, 64, has built a solid career around politics, the economy and regional administration as a key politician hailing from the central Chungcheong region.
He demonstrated his strong resolve when he quit his post as governor of South Chungcheong Province in late 2009 in protest of then-President Lee Myung-bak’s push to revise a plan to relocate the capital to that region to what is now the administrative city of Sejong.
That decision established him as a leading politician of Chungcheong and reportedly helped him form a personal bond with incumbent President Park Geun-hye, who was also against then-President Lee’s plan.
After passing the state civil service exam in 1974, Lee joined the finance ministry. Shortly afterward, he switched departments and became the youngest police superintendent at the age of 31. He was later promoted to chief of the provincial police agency.
During his career, Lee worked overseas for seven years, including at the South Korean consulate in Los Angeles.
The nominee is a three-term lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party.
His most recent election was during the parliamentary by-elections in April 2013, in which he won nearly 80 percent of the vote after overcoming a fierce battle with cancer.
For the past seven months, he has served as the party’s floor leader, leading tough negotiations with the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy on a controversial bill aimed at uncovering the truth behind last April’s deadly ferry sinking.
If he wins parliamentary approval to become the next prime minister, media attention will likely focus on his potential as a ruling party candidate for the next presidential election slated for late 2017. (Yonhap)
