Lee Sang-don (born December 4, 1951^[1]) is a South Korean legal scholar and a conservative liberal political activist.^[2][3] His liberal philosophy was influenced by American conservatism and neoconservatism, but he is critical of South Korean conservatism.^[4] He currently works as a professor at Chung-Ang University. He is a conservative pundit well known for expressing criticisms towards the Lee Myung-bak government. He received criticisms from a group of pro-Lee Myung-bak lawmakers for participating in the restructure of the Saenuri Party (formally Grand National Party) in the past due to his distance with Lee Myung-bak.^[5]

He was a member of the National Assembly member of the People's Party, a liberal political party led by Ahn Cheol-soo.^[6]

Early life

Sang-don was born in Busan. He graduated in Seoul National University with a B.A. and M.A. in law and later received his Ph.D from Tulane University in law.^[1]

Remarks

On Lee Myung-bak

• He is critical against the real estate cover-ups made by the South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.^[7]
• He had expressed concerns through his blog how Lee Myung-bak's political associates could potentially drag down the Lee Myung-bak government and his affiliated Saenuri Party (then Grand National Party) after the next presidential election due to Lee's extensive history of political corruptions.^[8]
• He once said in 2010 that Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye should have separated on their own way because "Lee Myung-bak's leadership heads itself to a potential Watergate scandal-like incident".^[9] This incident refers to the South Korean illegal surveillance incident. Lee Myung-bak has been politically isolated from the ruling Saenuri Party as Chairperson Hong Jun-pyo, resigned.

On the Supreme Prosecutors' Office

• He proposed an extensive restructure of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea as the organization itself covers up the corruptions generated by officials in the Lee Myung-bak government.^[10]

Incidents

On April 4, 2012, Lee abruptly left a live political debate program shown in tvN Asia that generated controversies.^[11]

Works

• Lee, Sang-don, 세계의 트렌드를 읽는 100권의 책, 기파랑 (2006), ISBN 978-89-91965-94-2
• Lee, Sang-don, 비판적 환경주의자, 브레인북스 (2006), ISBN 978-89-92447-01-0
• Lee, Sang-don, 위기에 처한 대한민국, 경덕출판사 (2007), ISBN 978-89-91197-43-5
• Lee, Sang-don, 조용한 혁명, 뷰스 (2011), ISBN 978-89-92037-76-1