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
Attention is focused on Sohee Lee (39), a former Sejong City council member, who will succeed Inyohan, a member of the People Power Party who voluntarily resigned from his position as a proportional representative in the National Assembly on December 10. 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 the Law School at Kyungpook National University, eventually 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 of Sejong City in the local elections. During the 20th presidential election, she worked in candidate Yoon Suk-yeol's campaign as a youth advisor and a special advisor for women's issues, and in the same year, she served as a member of the People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee. In 2023, she was appointed as a member of the Election Management Committee for the party's 3rd National Convention and as a member of Inyohan's Innovation Committee.
Last year, ahead of the National Assembly elections, she was recruited by Gukminui Mirae (the People Power Party's satellite party for proportional representation) under the leadership of Emergency Response Committee Chair Han Donghoon, as a figure representing women, youth, and people with disabilities. At the time, she was assigned number 19, which was considered a safe position 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 well known as the "lawyer in a wheelchair." Among her YouTube Shorts (short videos), one has surpassed 1.37 million views. The 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 titled "Even If I Can't Walk, I Stand Up Every Day," which details her journey of overcoming her disability. The book describes the three years she had to pause her studies for rehabilitation after becoming paralyzed from the waist down and how she overcame those challenges. It also tells the story of how she passed every exam-including the qualification exam, university entrance, law school, the bar exam, and the public enterprise exam-without a single failure, all within ten years.
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.
On this day, Inyohan held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "I hope to conclude my one and a half years of legislative activity and return to my original profession. Since there is no change without sacrifice, I intend to relinquish all vested interests starting with myself, return to my original work, and contribute to national unity and development."
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