"Having a Meltdown While Looking for a Restroom"... Who Is the Star of the 1.37 Million-View Shorts About to Enter the National Assembly?

Former Lawyer Sohee Lee, Ex-Sejong City Council Member
Paralyzed from the Waist Down at Age 15 Due to a Medical Accident
Became a Lawyer, City Council Member, and Now Enters the National Assembly
Communicates on Social Media as the "Lawyer

On December 10, attention is focused on Sohee Lee (39), a former Sejong City council member, who will succeed Inyohan, a member of the People Power Party, as a proportional representative following his voluntary resignation from the National Assembly. Known as the "lawyer in a wheelchair," Lee has shared her experiences as a person with disabilities and communicated through social networking services (SNS).

Sohee Lee (39), former Sejong City council member, who will succeed Inyohan, a member of the People Power Party, as a proportional representative. This is the lawmaker's YouTube.

Lee, who is a lawyer by profession, was born in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province. At the age of 15, while in middle school, she became paralyzed from the waist down due to a medical accident that occurred while she was receiving treatment for scoliosis at a hospital.

She completed her secondary education through the qualification exam, then studied law at Ewha Womans University and earned a master's degree from Kyungpook National University Law School before becoming a lawyer. From 2017 to 2021, she worked as a senior investigator at the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation, and later worked at a law office in Sejong City.

Lee entered politics in 2022 when she was elected as a proportional representative in the Sejong City local elections. During the 20th presidential election, she served as a youth advisor and special advisor for women in the campaign of then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol. In the same year, she was appointed as a member of the emergency response committee of the People Power Party. In 2023, she was selected as a member of the election management committee for the party's third national convention and as a member of the innovation committee led by Inyohan.

Last year, ahead of the general election, under the leadership of Emergency Committee Chair Han Donghoon, Lee was recruited by The Future of the People (the satellite party of the People Power Party for proportional representation) as a representative of women, youth, and people with disabilities. At the time, she was assigned number 19, which was considered a safe spot for election, but only up to candidate number 18 was elected, so she did not make it into the National Assembly.

Sohee Lee (39), former Sejong City council member, who will succeed Inyohan, a proportional representative of the People Power Party. This is the lawmaker's YouTube.

Recently, Lee has been communicating through YouTube and Instagram, and is also well known as the "lawyer in a wheelchair." Among the short videos she uploaded to YouTube, one has garnered more than 1.37 million views. These videos, including "Having a Meltdown While Searching for an Accessible Restroom" (574,358 views), "Feeling Frustrated in Front of a Restaurant with Stairs" (125,178 views), and "Loading a Wheelchair into a Car and Driving Alone," depict the everyday challenges faced by people with disabilities in an upbeat manner.

Lee also published a book about overcoming her disability, titled "Even If I Can't Walk, I Stand Up Every Day." The book covers the period when she had to suspend her studies for three years due to rehabilitation after becoming paralyzed from the waist down, as well as the process of overcoming those challenges. It also tells the story of passing all exams-including the qualification exam, university entrance, law school, bar exam, and public enterprise exam-within ten years without a single failure.

Meanwhile, Inyohan, a proportional representative of the People Power Party, abruptly announced his resignation from the National Assembly on December 10. It has been about one year and six months since he began his legislative activities after being elected as a proportional representative in the April 10 general election last year.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Inyohan stated, "I hope to wrap up my legislative activities over the past year and a half and return to my original profession. Since there is no change without sacrifice, I intend to relinquish all vested interests, return to my main occupation, and contribute to national unity and development."