His Excellency Lee Tae-sik

Ambassador from the Republic of Korea to the United States

To view a summary of Ambassador Lee's visit on Nov. 15 and 16, 2007, click here

Ambassador Lee Tae-sik is a career diplomat whose service for his country covers four decades and four continents. After passing the High Diplomatic Service Examination and joining the Ministry in 1973, Ambassador Lee served in various locations around the globe including Liberia, the Philippines, Austria, Yugoslavia and the EU, among others. 

He has also held several senior level positions throughout the Korean government, including Director-General of the International Trade Bureau at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Deputy Executive Director of Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO).

In July of 2000 his first Ambassadorial posting was as Ambassador to Israel, where he served until February of 2002 when he was called back to serve as the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. In his capacity as the Deputy Foreign Minister, he led Korean delegations in various security negotiations and consultations, particularly those addressing North Korea ’s nuclear issue. 

In June of 2003, he became the Korean Ambassador to the Court of St. James’ (United Kingdom).  In January of 2005, he was posted back to Seoul as the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

Ambassador Lee became Korea ’s Ambassador to the United States in October of 2005, presenting his credentials to President Bush in November of 2005.  Ambassador Lee had served in the Korean Embassy in the United States before, as a First Secretary from 1981-1984.

Ambassador Lee was born on October 26, 1945 and is a native of the Republic of Korea.  He pursued his academic studies in Korea and the United States, graduating from the Department of International Relations at Seoul National University in 1970 and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins in May of 1988.  Ambassador Lee is married with three sons.