Ho-Jin Lee was born in October 1951 in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Since 2008, he has been serving as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Finland. Recently he had worked for the UN, in his personal capacity, as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Affairs for 2004-2008.
Ambassador Lee graduated from the Law College of Seoul National University (SNU) in 1974 and while
serving as naval lieutenant in the Ministry of National Defense for 1975-1978, studied as a doctoral candidate in international law at the Graduate School of SNU.
He passed the Foreign Service Exam in 1974, and since then has been serving as a career
foreign service officer of the Republic of Korea at various positions and assignments. Countries where Ambassador Lee had served as diplomat include the US, Hungary, Austria, Finland, Philippines and Uganda. Senior positions he was appointed to and served are as follows.
1991 Director for National Security Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1993 Minister-Counselor at the Korean Embassy in Manila, Philippines
1994 Minister at the Embassy in Vienna, Austria & Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Vienna
1997 Director-General for National Security Policy
1998 Spokesman of the Foreign Ministry
2000 Director-General for Policy Planning and Regional Political Affairs
2001 Ambassador & Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN/HQ in New York
2003 Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary
2006 Ambassador-at-Large, Foreign Ministry HQ (Arms Control, Terrorism, Human Right)
2007 Executive Director, Diplomatic Competency Center of the Foreign Ministry
2008 Ambassador to the Republic of Finland
He is married to Jung-Joo Cho who is a graduate of Ehwa Women’s University in Seoul.
They have two sons who are both Yale University graduates. Currently, his son Won-Hyung is practicing lawyer at a law firm in New York, and another son Won-Hoon is an analyst at a capital management firm in New York.
During his 36-year career with the Korean Foreign Service, Ambassador Lee has developed expertice
and been engaged in the field of (i) national as well as regional politics and security in East Asia, (ii) international security, non-proliferation and disarmament (iii) and other global issues such as export control, human rights and humanitarian & development assistance.
He had also served the UN in his personal capacity as a member of the UN Secretary-
General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters for five years (2004-2008). Initially he was appointed to the Board by the former Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2003 and reconfirmed by current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2007, during which Ambassador Lee had presided over the Sessions as Chairman of the Board.
During the past 36 years of his foreign service in the Republic of Korea Government, he has been able to develop and maintain a good number of contacts and networks of influential figures, policy makers, leaders in foreign governments, businesses and academia. On top of these international networks – professional as well personal, Ambassador Lee has maintained a very close relationship with a number of friends and alumni from his high school and Seoul National University who are all today prominent and influential leaders in Korean government and business community.
