Lee Yong-woo (Korean: 이용우, born 1 February 1964) is a South Korean entrepreneur, banker and politician currently serving as the Member of the National Assembly for Goyang 4th constituency since 2020. Prior to entering politics, he was the co-CEO of KakaoBank, along with Yoon Ho-young.
Lee Yong-woo | |
|---|---|
이용우 | |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 30 May 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Kim Hyun-mee |
| Constituency | Goyang 4th |
| CEO of KakaoBank | |
| In office 22 January 2016 – 13 January 2020 Serving with Yoon Ho-young | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Yoon Ho-young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 February 1964 Chuncheon, Gangwon, South Korea |
| Citizenship | South Korean |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Kim Kyung-ae |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Seoul National University |
| Occupation | Banker, entrepreneur, politician |
Early life and education
Born in Chuncheon,[1] Lee was grown up in Busan, where he studied at Pujun Primary School, Busan East Secondary School and Gaya High School.[2][3][4] He earned a bachelor's and a master's degree in economics at Seoul National University.[1]
Career
He joined the Hyundai Research Institute as a researcher in 1992.[5][4] He worked at the General Planning Office at Hyundai Group, as well as a senior economist at Hyundai Investment Trust Securities.[1][2][5][4] He led strategic planning, as well as mergers and acquisitions (M&A) at the Hyundai Motor Company.[1][2][4] In addition, he also served as the Director of the Dongwon Securities, the Director of Strategic Planning of the Korea Investment Holdings, the Director of Asset Management Division of the Korea Investment & Securities and the Chief Investment Officer of the Korea Investment Management.[2][5][4]
He founded KakaoBank along with Yoon Ho-young in the end of 2015 (officially in 2016) and subsequently became its co-CEO.[3][4] Under his leadership, the company achieved a surplus within 2 years,[4][5] as well as putting themselves as the largest online banking company in South Korea.[2]
Political career
From 1992 to 1993, he worked as a secretary to the then Democratic MP Jae-Sik Chang, the father of Ha-Joon Chang.[6]
On 12 January 2020, Lee was brought into the ruling Democratic Party.[1][2][3][4][5] As he joined politics, he subsequently resigned from KakaoBank.[7][8] On 24 February, he was confirmed as the candidate for Goyang 4th constituency, replacing the incumbent MP and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee[9][10] who had declared to not seek for re-election.[11][12] In the general election held on 15 April, he defeated the UFP candidate Kim Hyunah.[13]
Personal life
Lee married to Kim Kyung-ae.[14]
He is also an elder brother to Lee Chan-woo, the former Assistant Minister of Economy and Finance.[3]
Election results
General elections
| Year | Constituency | Political party | Votes (%) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Goyang 4th | Democratic | 85,943 (53.42%) | Won |