Sang-Hoon Lee, Former Minister of National Defense, Passes Away

Lee Sang-hoon, Standing Chairman of the National Elders Council and former Minister of National Defense under the Roh Tae-woo administration, passed away on the 11th due to old age. He was 90 years old.

Born in June 1933 in Cheongwon, Chungbuk, he graduated from Gyeonggi High School and the Korea Military Academy (11th class). He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1955 and served as intelligence staff officer of the ROK-US 1st Corps, commander of the ROK Army 3rd Corps, and Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1983, he served as deputy commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command and retired as a four-star general in 1985.

He was a classmate at the Military Academy with former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo. Commissioned in 1955, he forged his first connection with President Park Chung-hee during the May 16 military coup in 1961 by leading Military Academy cadets in support demonstrations as a captain. He later graduated from the U.S. Command and General Staff College and participated in the Vietnam War as an infantry battalion commander, earning distinguished military honors. He served as division commander, corps commander, and deputy commander (general) of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command. After retiring in 1985, he chaired the Emergency Planning Committee (which was integrated into the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2008). Even after leaving public office, he held positions such as president of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and chairman of the Veterans Association.

For his contributions to national security, he received the U.S. Silver Star, the Chungmu Military Decoration, and the Boguk Medal. He is survived by his wife, Ahn Jeong-sook, and children Lee Woong-hee (professor at Hanyang University) and Jang-hee (CEO of an IT company). Former Minister of Information and Communication Lee Sang-chul is his younger brother.

The funeral is jointly hosted by the Republic of Korea Veterans Association and the National Elders Standing Council. The funeral hall is at Seoul Asan Medical Center, with the funeral procession scheduled for 7 a.m. on the 14th. The burial site is the family graveyard in Cheongju, Chungbuk. (02)3010-2000