Lee Jong-wook explained

Lee Jong-wook
Order:6th Director-General of the World Health Organization
Predecessor:Gro Harlem Brundtland
Successor:Anders Nordström
Birth Date:12 April 1945
Birth Place:Keijō, Keiki-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan
Nationality:South Korean
Death Place:Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
Resting Place:Daejeon National Cemetery, Daejeon, South Korea
Profession:Physician
Alma Mater:Hanyang University (B.E.)
Seoul National University (MD)
University of Hawaii (MMed)
Native Name Lang:ko
Korean name
Tablewidth:265
Color:lavender
Hangul:이종욱
Hanja:李鍾郁
Rr:I Jong-uk
Mr:Yi Chong-uk

Lee Jong-wook (; 12 April 1945 – 22 May 2006) was a South Korean physician. He was the director-general of the World Health Organization for three years. Lee joined the WHO in 1983, working on a variety of projects including the Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunizations and Stop Tuberculosis. He began his term as director-general in 2004, and was the first figure from Korea to lead an international agency.

In 2004, Lee was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.[1]

Early life

Born on 12 April 1945 in Keijō, Keiki-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now Seoul, South Korea).

Lee received a Bachelors in Engineering from Hanyang University, followed by a medical degree at Seoul National University, and a Master of Medicine at the University of Hawaii in public health. He is the third son in a family of six children; he has three brothers and two sisters. Two of his brothers are professors.

Lee took care of leprosy patients in Anyang, South Korea when he was studying medicine. There were few medical facilities set up at the time and he worked in a volunteer capacity. He met and later married Kaburaki Reiko, a Japanese woman who visited Korea in order to volunteer in the country.[2]

WHO career

He worked at the World Health Organization (WHO), at country, regional and headquarter levels for 23 years.[3] His work in WHO started in 1983 when he worked with leprosy in Fiji. He started his work as an advisor on leprosy, and later also treated tuberculosis and promoted the vaccination of children against preventable diseases.[4]

In 1994, Lee moved to Geneva to work at WHO headquarters as chief in prevention and vaccines. In 1995, he was nicknamed Vaccine Czar according to Scientific American.[5] Lee became official candidate for 6th director-generals of WHO.

He had said that global efforts to control the HIV/AIDS pandemic would be the right course that would give meaning to his tenure as director-general of the agency.[7]

The 3 by 5 policy, which was the basic idea of Lee, was largely criticized by many concerned people. International AIDS Society president Joep Lange, had a comment that the project was "totally unrealistic". Médecins sans Frontières, also expressed similar reservations toward Lee's plan.[8]

He visited 60 countries in the three years of his Generalship including Darfur, Sudan, sites of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Madagascar, Mauritius.[9] He was famed as a man of action during this time. His adventurous spirit led him to "experience more, see more, and do more," said his son Tadahiro.[10]

Death and commemoration

He died on 22 May 2006, in intensive care unit of Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland, following emergency surgery for a blood clot in the brain (a subdural hematoma).[11] He had been preparing for UN general meetings when he fell ill at a weekend luncheon.[12]

Secretary General of United Nations at that time, Kofi Annan mentioned

President George W. Bush of the United States said

He was posthumously awarded the Hibiscus Cordon (Grand Cross) of the Order of Civil Merit by the South Korean government.He was survived by Reiko Kaburaki Lee; the couple has one son, Tadahiro Lee.[13] Reiko continues to volunteer in Peru helping poor women and children.[14]

Memorial award

The South Korean government officially announced the establishment of the a Memorial Prize in Lee's memory. After his death, You Si min, the Minister of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea, officially revealed the plans concerning the new awards and urged other nations and persons concerned to participate at a meeting of WHO in 2007.[15] Mr. Lee Sung-joo, who is permanent representative of the Republic of Korea, spoke of the award in Dr. Lee's memory to motivate and inspire young leaders aspiring to be the next Dr. Lee Jong-wook.[16]

Starting in 2009, the awards would be given for mainly the fields "young leadership" and "contributor of health management" (especially for epidemics) at the annual assembly of WHO, which takes place in May each year.[17]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: TIME Magazine: TIME 100: Jong-Wook Lee. https://web.archive.org/web/20070516013826/http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/2004/time100/scientists/100wook.html. dead. 16 May 2007.
  2. Emperor of Vaccines Busan Ilbo (KOR) 24 May 2006 http://www.busanilbo.com/news2000/html/2006/0524/040020060524.103011
  3. In Memoriam Lee Jong-wook24 May 2006Web site: In Memoriam: Lee Jong-wook . 26 January 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070814090606/http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2003/memoriam_jong-wook.html . 14 August 2007 .
  4. News: 2006-05-22 . Obituary: Dr Lee Jong-wook . en-GB . 2022-10-21.
  5. 옳다고 생각하면 행동하라 p. 200 written by Kwon Joon Wook
  6. Web site: 2006-05-23 . Dr Lee Jong-Wook . 2022-10-21 . The Independent . en.
  7. News: 2006-05-22 . WHO chief dies after blood clot . en-GB . 2022-10-21.
  8. Web site: The Times & The Sunday Times . 2022-10-21 . www.thetimes.co.uk . en.
  9. Web site: 2006-05-23 . Dr Lee Jong-Wook . 2022-10-21 . The Independent . en.
  10. Official page of WHO ihttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2006/np12/en/index.html
  11. News: Altman . Lawrence K. . 2006-05-22 . W.H.O. Chief Undergoes Emergency Brain Surgery . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-10-21 . 0362-4331.
  12. WHO chief Lee Jong-Wook dies suddenly Turkishpress.com 22 May 2006 (AFP) http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=124783
  13. Web site: Lee Jong-Wook. www.nndb.com.
  14. Mr.Lee's dowager, Reiko 故 이종욱 전 WHO총장 미망인 레이코 여사 13 November 2006 http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?no=483129&year=2006
  15. You si min, going to organize awards memorizing Dr. Lee 유시민 복지 "고 이종욱 총장 기념상 만들겠다" 16 May 2007 http://mbn.mk.co.kr/news/newsRead.php?vodCode=211296&category=mbn00008
  16. Tribute to Dr Lee Jong-wook Web site: WHO | Tribute to Dr LEE Jong-wook . 27 January 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080115043617/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2007/wha60/tribute_lee/en/index.html . 15 January 2008 .
  17. [Arirang TV]