[Manbo Jeongdam] The Health Secret of 'Water-Above'... Climbing Up and Down the 15th Floor of an Apartment Every Morning

Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation
Former President of Korean Canoe Federation, Kayak Enthusiast
Frequently Rows at Hosu Park and Hangang River

Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, served as the president of the Korea Canoe Federation for three years starting in 2013. He took up kayaking, one of the canoe disciplines, and has been consistently practicing it for over a decade. While canoeing was once perceived domestically as an elite sport focused on athletes, in places where water sports are well-developed, such as Europe, it is widely enjoyed by the general public. President Lee actively promotes it to those around him. Except for the middle of winter, whenever he rows a boat at Cheongna Lake Park near his home or on the Han River, he walks up about ten times every morning from the apartment basement to the 15th floor. This is his personal health management secret.

His current workplace, as well as his past roles as district mayor and member of the National Assembly, have all been in Incheon (Seo-gu). It is also where he was born and raised. In June last year, he was inaugurated as the 10th president of Incheon International Airport Corporation. As the first president from Incheon since the corporation's establishment, he has devoted himself to normalizing airport operations that were shaken by COVID-19. Thanks to his revision of the Capital Region Readjustment Planning Act during his time as a member of the National Assembly, manufacturing infrastructure was able to be established within the Incheon Airport Free Trade Zone. While emphasizing the airport’s fundamental role as the gateway of the country, he also stresses creativity in work processes to maintain a leading position in the global aviation industry.

◆ Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation

▲ Born in 1964 in Geomdan-myeon, Gimpo-gun, Gyeonggi-do (now Geomdan-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon) ▲ Graduated from Bupyeong High School and Seoul National University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Animal Science ▲ Ph.D. in Community Development from Chung-Ang University ▲ 8th Seo-gu District Council Member ▲ 18th, 19th, and 20th National Assembly Member (Hannara Party, Saenuri Party) ▲ President of Korea Canoe Federation ▲ Political Special Advisor to Yoon Seok-youl’s National Campaign Headquarters ▲ 10th President of Incheon International Airport Corporation

Incheon International Airport Corporation President Lee Hak-jae is walking in a park near the corporation's headquarters in Jung-gu, Incheon. Photo by Jo Yong-jun