Well when I was young, actually not just me, but we were all poor. Korea used to be one of the poorest countries in the world. Despite such circumstances, I was very, very fortunate to be blessed with having parents who always instilled in a spirit of can-do spirit.

He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. He promised to seek a Korean Economic Community agreement to establish the legal and systemic framework for any projects emerging from the negotiations. S.

He ended his five-year term on February 25 2013 and was succeeded by Park Geun-hye. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk a South Korean politician. Lee altered the South Korean government's approach to North Korea preferring a more hardline strategy in the wake of increased provocation from the North though he was supportive of regional dialogue with Russia China and Japan.