Ex-President's brother-in-law dies

Lee Seong-ho

By Kim Ji-soo

Lee Seong-ho, brother-in-law to the late former President Kim Dae-jung, has passed away. He was 85, various reports said Friday.

Police officials in Jongno District, downtown Seoul, said that they found Lee lying still in his officetel residence Tuesday, after receiving a call from an acquaintance of Lee’s that he could not be reached.

Lee, the youngest brother of former First Lady Lee Hee-ho, graduated from Gyeongbok High School and Seoul National University, after which he went to the United States and studied at Emory University. He at one time headed a Korea-American group in Washington, D.C., and also ran a travel agency.

He returned to Korea in 1985, setting up a travel agency to take care of the travel of his brother-in-law who at that time was at the Party for Peace and Democracy.

Lee was often dubbed an “insider” in President Kim Dae-jung’s administration (1998-2003) but was implicated in graft scandals afterwards.

Lee divorced and his two sons also live in the United States, leaving him to live alone in Korea. A mortuary is set up at the Inje University’s Seoul Paik Hospital in Jung district; the funeral is set for Saturday.