| Honorific-Prefix: | His Excellency |
| Lee Wan-koo | |
| Native Name Lang: | ko |
| Office: | 43rd Prime Minister of South Korea |
| Term Start: | 17 February 2015 |
| Term End: | 27 April 2015 |
| President: | Park Geun-hye |
| Predecessor: | Jung Hong-won |
| Successor: | Choi Kyoung-hwan Hwang Kyo-ahn |
| Office1: | Member of the National Assembly |
| Term Start1: | 25 April 2013 |
| Term End1: | 29 May 2016 |
| Predecessor1: | Kim Geun-tae |
| Successor1: | Chung Jin-suk |
| Constituency1: | Buyeo–Cheongyang |
| Term Start2: | 30 May 1996 |
| Term End2: | 29 May 2004 |
| Predecessor2: | Cho Bu-young |
| Successor2: | Kim Hak-won |
| Constituency2: | Cheongyang–Hongseong |
| Office3: | Chairman of the Saenuri Party |
| Term Start3: | 15 May 2014 |
| Term End3: | 13 July 2014 |
| Predecessor3: | Hwang Woo-yea |
| Successor3: | Kim Moo-sung |
| Office4: | Governor of South Chungcheong Province |
| Term Start4: | 1 July 2006 |
| Term End4: | 4 December 2009 |
| Predecessor4: | Sim Dae-pyung |
| Successor4: | Ahn Hee-jung |
| Birth Date: | 16 July 1950 |
| Birth Place: | Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea |
| Death Place: | Seoul, South Korea |
| Party: | Saenuri |
| Alma Mater: | Sungkyunkwan University (BA) Michigan State University (MA) Dankook University (PhD) |
| Hangul: | 이완구 |
| Hanja: | 李完九 |
| Rr: | I Wangu |
| Mr: | I Wanku |
Lee Wan-koo (; 16 July 1950 – 14 October 2021) was a South Korean politician who briefly served as Prime Minister in 2015.
Lee was born in 1950 in, Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province. After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University, Lee worked as a public officer in the Economic Planning Board (current Ministry of Strategy and Finance) and later moved to the National Police Agency.[1] From 1982 to 1984, he studied at Michigan State University in the United States and received an M. A. in Criminal Justice.[2] From 1986 to 1989, Lee served as Consul for the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles.[2] [3]
In 1995, Lee entered into politics, joining the Democratic Liberal Party (later renamed as the New Korea Party). In the 1996 election, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly for the New Korea Party. In 1998, he joined the United Liberal Democrats, led by Kim Jong-pil.[1] In the 2006 election, he was elected as the governor of South Chungcheong Province. He resigned as governor on 23 December 2009, as a protest against the Lee Myung-bak government.
Lee was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.[4] After recovering, he was re-elected as a member of the National Assembly in a 2013 by-election. In May 2014, he became the floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party.[1]
On 23 January 2015, President Park Geun-hye named Lee, at the time parliamentary floor leader, as prime minister.[5] Lee was confirmed by the National Assembly as Prime Minister on 16 February 2015; the National Assembly voted with 148 Yes, 128 No, with 5 Abstained.[6]
On 20 April 2015, Lee offered to resign as Prime Minister, amid allegations of bribery.[7] [8] He formally stepped down on 27 April 2015, apologizing over a scandal in which he was accused of taking an illegal cash gift from Sung Wan-jong, a businessman.[9] President Park Geun-hye accepted Lee's resignation.[9]
In January 2016, he was convicted of taking illegal funds by the Seoul Central District Court.[10] However, in September 2016, he was acquitted by the Seoul High Court.[11] On 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the Seoul High Court's acquittal of Lee.[12]
In 2016, Lee's cancer returned.[4] He died on 14 October 2021, due to multiple myeloma, at the age of 71. He died about two weeks before former President Roh Tae Woo died on October 26, 2021.[1] [4]