[News Figures] 'MB's Older Brother' Lee Sang-deuk, Former National Assembly Vice Speaker and Six-Term Lawmaker, Senior Member of the Ruling Party

Lee Sang-deuk (89), former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, passed away on the 23rd due to old age. Lee was the elder brother of former President Lee Myung-bak.

Born in Yeongil, Gyeongbuk, the late Lee graduated from Dongji Commercial High School in Pohang, Gyeongbuk (now Dongji High School). He entered the Korea Military Academy as part of the 15th class in 1955 but dropped out due to injury and later graduated from the Department of Economics at Seoul National University of Commerce. In 1961, he joined Kolon Trading Corporation as part of its first regular recruitment and later served as CEO of Kolon Corporation and Kolon Trading Corporation. He was recognized as a professional manager who contributed to the development of the textile industry and the expansion of exports.

Former Assemblyman Sang-deuk Lee.

He entered politics in 1988. Joining the Democratic Justice Party (predecessor of the People Power Party), he was elected as a six-term member of the National Assembly representing Nam-Pohang and Ulleung, Gyeongbuk, from the 13th to the 18th National Assembly. He held positions such as party secretary-general, floor leader, chairman of the policy committee, and Supreme Council member, and served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly in the latter half of the 17th National Assembly. During the 1998 International Monetary Fund (IMF) crisis, he played a leading role in financial reform as the chairman of the policy committee of the Grand National Party. When the passage of financial reform laws became difficult due to disagreements between ruling and opposition parties just before the IMF foreign exchange crisis, as chairman of the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Committee, he said, "The nation is in crisis. This is our country. Please pass this."

From the time former President Lee prepared for his presidential bid, Lee Sang-deuk supported his younger brother, contributing to his victory in the party's presidential primary and his election as president. He was considered a key figure during the Lee Myung-bak administration. He was often called the "Sangwang (Upper King)" for leading coordination on major issues. Lee once expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "Do not associate my personal remarks with the president."

President Evo Morales of Bolivia (center), Special Envoy Lee Sang-deuk (center left), and Kim Shin-jong, President of the Korea Resources Corporation (center right), are taking a commemorative photo after concluding a meeting at the Presidential Palace at 12 noon on the 14th (local time, around 1 a.m. on the 15th Korean time).

He also achieved results in parliamentary diplomacy. Lee led the presidential special envoy delegation to Japan and served as chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary Union, successfully facilitating the return of about 1,200 volumes of the Joseon royal Uigwe (royal protocols). Additionally, he visited Bolivia several times to secure lithium cooperation, obtaining several hundred liters of lithium brine from the Uyuni Salt Flat, which was previously prohibited from export. Based on these experiences, he published a book titled "Manage Resources."

In 2012, he was imprisoned for one year and two months after being found guilty of receiving illegal political funds amounting to over 700 million won. This was the first case in constitutional history where a sitting president's elder brother was incarcerated. President Yoon Suk-yeol was part of the investigative team at that time. Lee was released in September 2013 after completing his sentence. Following Lee's imprisonment, former President Lee Myung-bak publicly apologized to the nation, saying, "My heart is shattered, and I cannot raise my head."

He is survived by his wife, Choi Sin-ja, his children Lee Ji-hyung, Lee Sung-eun, and Lee Ji-eun, daughter-in-law Jo Jae-hee, and sons-in-law Koo Bon-cheon and Oh Jung-seok.