1. Lee Hyung-geun was a South Korean military officer and diplomat.
24 Facts About Lee Hyung-geun
1. 2.
Lee Hyung-geun was born in Gongju, Chuseinan-do, Korea, Empire of Japan on 11 December 1920 to Lee Ki-dong and Ahn Jin-shil.
3.
Lee Hyung-geun's father was the Korean agent of an American company.
4.
On 16 June 1946, Lee Hyung-geun married Lee Hye-ran, the daughter of Lee Eung-joon.
5.
In December 1939, while Korea was still under Japanese occupation, eighteen-year-old Lee Hyung-geun enrolled in the 56th officer-training class of the Junior Course School in Japan, the preparatory division of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy.
6.
Lee Hyung-geun was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Japanese Imperial Army and enrolled in the specialized Japanese Field Artillery School.
7.
Lee Hyung-geun was among the first group to enroll in the program but was exempted from some of the instruction because of his excellent English language skills.
8.
On 1 May, the South Joseon Defense Academy was established, replacing the Military Language School, which closed on 30 April, and Major Lee Hyung-geun was appointed as its first principal, a position he held until 6 September 1946.
9.
However, in February 1948 Lee Hyung-geun became the Chief of Staff for the Department of Internal Security, the forerunner of the Ministry of National Defense, created the same day as South Korea.
10.
Mid-year, Lee Hyung-geun traveled to the US to begin parts of two years studying military science.
11.
In 1949, Lee Hyung-geun completed his advanced military education in the US, graduating from the Infantry School and the US Army Staff College.
12.
On 16 October 1950, the III Corps of the ROK Army was established and Major General Lee Hyung-geun became its first commander.
13.
Early in 1952, Lee Hyung-geun was Commander of the ROK Army I Corps, although the timing of his appointment is not clear.
14.
Lee Hyung-geun may have had a short-term appointment as Commander of I Corps in 1951.
15.
Lee Hyung-geun, who was among the latter, is said to have opposed Eisenhower's notion that the atomic bomb should be used to end the war quickly claiming, "It is good for the war to end quickly, but both South and North Korea will perish together".
16.
About seven months after the Armistice signing, thirty-four-year-old General Lee Hyung-geun was appointed on 17 February 1954 to the newly created position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a post he held until 27 June 1956.
17.
On 16 July 1960, Lee Hyung-geun became the eighth President of the Korean Veterans Association.
18.
In June 1961, forty-year-old Lee Hyung-geun became the fourth Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Philippines.
19.
Lee Hyung-geun returned to South Korea late in 1967 and continued to serve the ROK as a private citizen for many years.
20.
In February 1969, Lee Hyung-geun was appointed Chairman of the President's Advisory Commission on Government Administration.
21.
Lee Hyung-geun became President of the Korean Anti-Communist League in November 1976.
22.
Lee Hyung-geun became a Member of the Legislative Assembly in October 1980 and served as a Member of the President's Advisory Council on State Affairs.
23.
In 1989, Lee Hyung-geun was a Member of and Counselor to the President's Advisory Council for National Unification.
24.
Lee Hyung-geun received many honors, medals, and decorations, some multiple times, from the ROK and several other countries, including the following:.