NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS
Press Release
BIO/3159*
NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS
19980514 Biographical Note See-Young Lee, the new Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, today presented his credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Lee served as Ambassador to France (1996-1998), as Vice-Minister in his country's Foreign Ministry (1995), and as Permanent Representative to international organization, at his embassy in Vienna (1992-1994). In the latter capacity, he was Chairman of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 1994 and Chairman of the "Group of 77" developing countries in 1993. From May 1991 to February 1992, he was Assistant Foreign Minister for Policy Planning in Seoul.
Mr. Lee began his career in the Republic of Korea's Foreign Ministry in January 1961, and in 1967, was assigned to his country's United Nations Mission in New York. In 1972, he was appointed Director of the United Nations Division at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. He served as Counsellor at his country's United Nations Mission from 1976 to 1980, when he returned to the Foreign Ministry at Seoul as Director-General of its Bureau of International Organizations and Treaties. He subsequently served as Deputy Permanent Observer at the Mission in New York from 1983 to 1985.
Other positions he has held include Ambassador to Senegal (1985-1989); and head of the Foreign Ministry's Special Foreign Policy Task Force (1989-1990). As Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials Meeting (1990-1991) he negotiated successfully the entry of China; Taiwan Province of China; and Hong Kong into APEC at its Third Ministerial Meeting, held at Seoul in 1991. Mr. Lee was Secretary-General of that Meeting.
Mr. Lee received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Seoul National University in 1959, continuing with Graduate studies there through 1960. He was also a Carnegie Fellow in Diplomacy at the Institute de Haute Etude Internationale in Geneva (1964-1965) and an International Fellow at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University (1987-1988).
Born on January 1937, Mr. Lee is married and has two children.
* Reissued for technical reasons. * *** *