Yi Cheol-seung

Yi Cheol-seung (May 15, 1922 – February 27, 2016) was a South Korean politician who served in the National Assembly for seven terms.
Lee was an advocate for the Korean independence movement, democracy, anti-communism, anti-military rule, and non-governmental organizations. After Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, Lee led a student union that under the United States and Soviet Union. He eventually entered politics in 1954 after winning a parliamentary seat.
Lee, and his two political rivals former Presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, were famous for their political competition and the establishment and development of democracy in South Korea. He was given buried in the Seoul National Cemetery on March 2, 2016, where former South Korean presidents are also buried.
Early life and education
1949 – B.A. in Political Science, Korea University
1962 – Studied at the Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania in International Relations
1995 – Honorary Doctor in Literature from Woosuk University
1998 – Honorary Doctor in Political Science from Korea University
Political career
The following is a timeline of his career.
Independence Activist
1946
Chairman, Central Committee, Anti-Trustee Students Assembly
Chairman, Central Committee, National Students Assembly
National Assembly
1954
Member, The 3rd National Assembly(Jeonju, Independent)
1958~1961
Member, The 4th National Assembly(Jeonju, Democratic Party)
The 5th National Assembly(Jeonju, Democratic Party)
1961
Korean Delegate to the 15th U.N. General Assembly
Chairman, Korea Sports Council
President, Korea Weightlifting Federation
1966
Chairman, Asia Weightlifting Federation
1969
Chairman, Asia Weightlifting Federation
1971~1973
Member, The 8th National Assembly(Jeonju, New Democratic Party)
Chairman, Korean Policy Research Institute
1973
Member, The 9th National Assembly(Jeonju, New Democratic Party)
Vice Speaker of the National Assembly
1975
Korean Delegate to the 30th U.N. General Assembly
1976
Representative Supreme Member, New Democratic Party
1978
Member, The 10th National Assembly(Jeonju, Wanju, New Democratic Party)
1984~
President, Council for Commemorative Projects for Korea's Anti-trusteeship & Anti-communism Student's Movement
1985
Member, The 12th National Assembly(Jeonju, New Democratic Party)
1987
자유민주총연맹 총재
Political Exile
On May 16, 1961, Park Chung-hee, Kim Jong-pil, and Lee Nak-sun successfully staged a military coup d'etat. Immediately after, Park Chung-hee sent aides to try and win over key opposition lawmakers including Lee who rejected Park's request for help. Lee was forced to leave politics and went to the United States where he was vocally opposed to the military coup in Korea and studied Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
(This article needs more details about his political exile, his "man without a passport" status, and his asylum in the U.S.)
Political Comeback
(This article needs more details about his political comeback)
Post-Political Career and Civil Society Leadership
1990
Director, The Seoul Peace Prize
Member, The Seoul Peace Prize Selection Committee
1993
Director, Commemorative Committee for "Patriotic Martyr in Yeosoon"
1994~
Co-chairman, National Council for Freedom and Democracy
1995~
Advisor, Korea Eligible Senior Voters Federation
1996~
Chairman, Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation and President, the Seoul Peace Prize Selection Committee
Member, Organizing Committee for the 2002 World Cup
Chairman, Association of Patriotic Societies for National Foundation
1998
Chairman, Preparatory Committee for Commemorative of the Founding of the Republic of Korea
2005
자유민주비상국민회의 대표의장
2007
Chairman, Parliamentarians' Society of the Republic of Korea
2011~2016
Chairman, The Elders Group of the Parliamentarians' Society of the Republic of Korea
Death
Lee died on February 27, 2016, at 03:45 KST, at Samsung Hospital in Seoul at the age of 94. A funeral was held for him on March 2, 2016, that began with a five-day wake and a police-escorted procession that led to the National Assembly and ended with a gun salute at the Seoul National Cemetery where he is buried along with former South Korean presidents.
Awards
Order of Service Merit ("Mugunghwa Medal," Hangul: 국민훈장무궁화장)
Publications
The Republic of Korea and I (대한민국과 나) (2011)
Oh! Who Will Look After Korea (오! 대한민국 누가 지키리) (2002)
A Challenge for Hopelessness (절망에의 도전)
Long March to Democracy (민주의 장정)
Pan-National Student Federation (전국학련)
The Middle-of-the-Road Integration Theory (중도통합론) (1992)
The Sound Argument of Chaotic Period
A History of Korean Students National-Building Movement
How the Republic of Korea was Founded (1998)
My Political Thoughts for Democratic Development
See also
Kim Kyu-sik
Kim Seong-su
Syngman Rhee
References
External links
Lee Chul-seung: National Assembly of South Korea
이철승 "민족지도자를 친일파로…" 동아일보 2005년 1월 26일자 기사
'건국60돌-헌정60돌' 이철승 헌정회장 인터뷰 동아일보 2008년 04월 02일자
중앙일보 2011년 05월 24일자
한국 현대사증언 TV자서전:이철승 1부 – 일제 식민지와 해방
1922 births
2016 deaths
Korean independence activists
South Korean anti-communists
South Korean democracy activists
South Korean Methodists
South Korean civil rights activists
South Korean journalists
Korean religious leaders
Democratic Party (South Korea, 1955) politicians
People from North Jeolla Province
Ramon Magsaysay Award winners
Members of the National Assembly (South Korea)