| Lee Chul-seung | |
| Native Name: | 이철승 |
| Native Name Lang: | ko |
| Constituency2: | Jeonju, Democratic Party |
| Term2: | 1958–1961 The 4th and 5th National Assembly |
| Party: | 1954 Independent;1958 Democratic Party; 1971 New Democratic Party ;1973 New Democratic Party;1976 Representative Supreme Member, the New Democratic Party;1978 New Democratic Party;1985 New Democratic Party; |
| Constituency1: | Jeonju, Independent |
| Office1: | Member of the National Assembly, South Korea |
| Term1: | 1954 The 3rd National Assembly |
| Birth Date: | May 15, 1922 |
| Birth Place: | Seoul, Korea |
| Death Date: | February 27, 2016 (age 93) |
| Resting Place: | Seoul National Cemetery |
| Nationality: | Republic of Korea (South Korea) |
| Spouse: | Kim Chang-hee |
| Children: | Yanghee Lee (daughter) |
| Awards: | Order of Service Merit ("Mugunghwa Medal,") |
| Constituency3: | Jeonju, New Democratic Party |
| Term3: | 1971 The 8th National Assembly |
| Constituency4: | Jeonju, New DemocraticParty |
| Term4: | 1973 The 9th National Assembly and Vice Speaker of the National Assembly |
| Constituency5: | Jeonju, Wanju, New DemocraticParty |
| Term5: | 1978 The 10th National Assembly |
| Constituency6: | Jeonju, New DemocraticParty |
| Term6: | 1985 The 12th National Assembly |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul: | 이철승 |
| Rr: | I Chul-seung |
| Mr: | I Ch'ŏlsŭng |
| Hangulho: | 소석 |
| Rrho: | So Seok |
| Mrho: | So Sŏk |
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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3] He was given buried in the Seoul National Cemetery on March 2, 2016, where former South Korean presidents are also buried.
The following is a timeline of his career.[4]
1946
1954
1958~1961
1961
1966
1969
1971~1973
1973
1975
1976
1978
1984~
1985
1987
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.)
(This article needs more details about his political comeback)
1990
1993
1994~
1995~
1996~
1998
2005
2007
2011~2016
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.