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His Excellency Lee Wan-koo
이완구
Prime Minister of South Korea
In office 17 February 2015 – 27 April 2015
President	Park Geun-hye
Preceded by	Jung Hong-won
Succeeded by	Choi Kyoung-hwan (acting) Hwang Kyo-ahn
Member of the National Assembly
In office 25 April 2013 – 29 May 2016
Preceded by	Kim Geun-tae
Succeeded by	Chung Jin-suk
Constituency	Buyeo–Cheongyang
In office 30 May 1996 – 29 May 2004
Preceded by	Cho Bu-young
Succeeded by	Kim Hak-won
Constituency	Cheongyang–Hongseong
Chairman of the Saenuri Party
Interim
In office 15 May 2014 – 13 July 2014
Preceded by	Hwang Woo-yea
Succeeded by	Kim Moo-sung
Governor of South Chungcheong Province
In office 1 July 2006 – 4 December 2009
Preceded by	Sim Dae-pyung
Succeeded by	Ahn Hee-jung
Personal details
Born	(1950-07-16)16 July 1950 Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea
Died	14 October 2021(2021-10-14) (aged 71) Seoul, South Korea
Political party	Saenuri
Alma mater	Sungkyunkwan University (BA) Michigan State University (MA) Dankook University (PhD)

Lee Wan-koo (Korean: 이완구; Hanja: 李完九; 16 July 1950 – 14 October 2021) was a South Korean politician who briefly served as the prime minister of South Korea in 2015.

Lee was born in 1950 in Bibong-myeon [ko], Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province. After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University, Lee worked as a public officer in the Economic Planning Board (current Ministry of Strategy and Finance) and later moved to the National Police Agency.^[1] From 1982 to 1984, he studied at Michigan State University in the United States and received an M. A. in Criminal Justice.^[2] From 1986 to 1989, Lee served as Consul for the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles.^[2][3]

In 1995, Lee entered into politics, joining the Democratic Liberal Party (later renamed as the New Korea Party). In the 1996 election, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly for the New Korea Party. In 1998, he joined the United Liberal Democrats, led by Kim Jong-pil.^[1] In the 2006 election, he was elected as the governor of South Chungcheong Province. He resigned as governor on 23 December 2009, as a protest against the Lee Myung-bak government.^[4]

Lee was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.^[4] After recovering, he was re-elected as a member of the National Assembly in a 2013 by-election. In May 2014, he became the floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party.^[1]

On 23 January 2015, President Park Geun-hye named Lee, at the time parliamentary floor leader, as prime minister.^[5] Lee was confirmed by the National Assembly as Prime Minister on 16 February 2015; the National Assembly voted with 148 Yes, 128 No, with 5 Abstained.^[6]

On 20 April 2015, Lee offered to resign as Prime Minister, amid allegations of bribery.^[7][8] He formally stepped down on 27 April 2015, apologizing over a scandal in which he was accused of taking an illegal cash gift from Sung Wan-jong, a businessman.^[9] President Park Geun-hye accepted Lee's resignation.^[9]

In January 2016, he was convicted of taking illegal funds by the Seoul Central District Court.^[10] However, in September 2016, he was acquitted by the Seoul High Court.^[11] On 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the Seoul High Court's acquittal of Lee.^[12]

In 2016, Lee's cancer returned.^[4] He died on 14 October 2021, due to multiple myeloma, at the age of 71. He died about two weeks before former President Roh Tae Woo died on October 26, 2021.^[1][4]