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Tae-sik Lee

Former Vice Minister
Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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About Tae-sik Lee

Ambassador Lee Tae-sik is a career diplomat whose service for his country covers four decades and four continents. After passing the High Diplomatic Service Examination and joining the ministry in 1973, Lee served in various locations around the globe including Liberia, the Philippines, Austria, Yugoslavia, and the European Union, among others.

He has also held several senior-level positions throughout the Korean government, including director-general of the International Trade Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and deputy executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization.

In 2000, his first Ambassadorial posting was as Ambassador to Israel, where he served until 2002 when he was called back to serve as the deputy minister for foreign affairs. In his capacity as the deputy foreign minister, he led Korean delegations in various security negotiations and consultations, particularly those addressing North Korea’s nuclear issue.

In 2003, he became the Korean Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s (United Kingdom). In 2005, he was posted back to Seoul as the vice minister of foreign affairs and trade.

Lee became Korea’s Ambassador to the United States in October 2005, presenting his credentials to President Bush in November 2005. Lee had served in the Korean Embassy in the United States before, as a first secretary from 1981 to 1984.

Ambassador Lee is a native of the Republic of Korea. He pursued his academic studies in Korea and the United States, graduating from the Department of International Relations at Seoul National University in 1970 and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in 1988. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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February 14, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 6, 2023

Please join KEI and Park Won-ho for a discussion on what South Korean politics look like at a sub-national level.

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Region: Asia

July 13, 2022

Please join Tycho van der Hoog on why countries in southern Africa continue to engage with North Korea.

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June 6, 2022

Please join KEI for a discussion of how North Korea is handling the outbreak of COVID-19 and how the international community could help.

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Region: Asia

May 31, 2022

Please join KEI for a conversation with Markus Garlauskas and Axel Catellier on the factors driving South Korea’s recent military force development.

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Region: Asia

May 18, 2022

Please join Gabriela Bernal for a discussion on what conditions Washington has been a facilitator or detractor of Seoul’s initiatives towards Pyongyang.

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Region: Asia

April 6, 2022

The conversation will be livestreamed on YouTube.

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Region: Asia

March 17, 2022

Please join KEI for a discussion on the 2022 South Korean presidential election outcome with political analyst Park Sung-min.

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Region: Asia

March 1, 2022

Please join KEI and KIEP for a discussion about the first 10 years of KORUS and the future of the U.S.-Korea economic relationship.

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Region: Asia

February 28, 2022

Please join KEI for a discussion on North Korea’s potential incorporation of AI into its cyber arsenal.

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Region: Asia

February 24, 2022

Please join June Park for a conversation on the domestic and external factors driving South Korea’s thinking on digital currency.

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Region: Asia

February 17, 2022

Please join Sejong Institute’s S. Nathan Park for a discussion of the foreign policy outlook of South Korea’s progressives.

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Region: Asia

February 14, 2022

Please join the Korea Economic Institute for a discussion with South Korea’s ambassador-at-large for economic cooperation Yoo Myung-hee and Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President Wendy Cutler on emerging trade issues and the U.S.-Korea economic relationship.

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Region: Asia

December 2, 2021

Please join KEI for a discussion with Ambassador Kim Hyoeun of the steps South Korea has taken to address climate change.

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Region: Asia

December 2, 2021

Please join the Korea Economic Institute for a discussion on the 2022 South Korean presidential election with political analyst Park Sung-min.

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Region: Asia

November 17, 2021

Please join Professor Zhiqun Zhu  for a discussion on how Seoul might best defend its own interests amid the growing U.S.-China rivalry.

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Region: Asia

November 8, 2021

As disruptions in supply chains continue, what practical steps can the U.S. and Korea take to strengthen supply chains against future crises?

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October 26, 2021

Please join KEI for a discussion with three emerging experts on how South Korea can adopt a principled middle power agenda.

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October 7, 2021

Please join KEI for a discussion on American attitudes towards the Korean Peninsula after the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

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Region: Asia

September 30, 2021

Please join KEI for a discussion with Seoul National University Professor Chung Jae Ho on why the ROK-PRC relationship faces such headwinds and its implications for the ongoing U.S.-China competition.

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Region: Asia

September 23, 2021

Please join KEI for a conversation Mr. Kim Won-soo on the historical importance of two countries joining the UN, South Korea’s contribution to multilateral institutions, and the role of the UN in diplomacy with North Korea.

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Region: Asia

September 9, 2021

Please join KEI for a discussion with Dr. Naoko Aoki on how various factors have affected South Korea-Japan security cooperation.

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Region: Asia

September 9, 2021

Please join KEI for a discussion on how COVID-19 has affected the growing rivalry between the United States and China.

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Region: Asia

July 20, 2021