Lee Myung-bak

Lee Myung-bak is a South Korean politician and former business executive who served as president from 2008 to 2013. His presidency emphasized economic growth, infrastructure development, and a stronger alliance with the United States.

Four Major Rivers Project: A South Korean infrastructure program that built dams and dredged riverbeds along four major rivers. Its scale and environmental effects became defining controversies of Lee’s infrastructure agenda.
Hyundai Group: A South Korean conglomerate founded by Chung Ju-yung that expanded across construction, manufacturing, and other industries. Lee’s rise through its construction arm preceded his entry into elected politics.
2008 United States beef protests in South Korea: Mass demonstrations in South Korea against the resumption of United States beef imports in 2008. The protests became an early test of Lee’s public support and government responsiveness.
Kim Dae-jung: A South Korean opposition leader and president from 1998 to 2003 who promoted engagement with North Korea. Kim’s Sunshine Policy contrasted with Lee’s harder line toward Pyongyang.
Korean Grand Canal: A proposed canal network intended to connect South Korea’s major river systems. Public opposition to this proposal preceded Lee’s revised river-development program.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction: A South Korean construction company that became one of the country’s largest builders. Lee joined the company in 1965 and eventually became its chief executive.
Green Growth: An economic development strategy that seeks to reduce environmental harm while sustaining growth. Lee adopted green growth as a signature national strategy, including investment in low-carbon technologies.
Roh Moo-hyun: A South Korean president from 2003 to 2008 associated with reformist politics and engagement with North Korea. Lee campaigned against the direction of Roh’s administration and reversed several of its policies.
South Korean labor movement: Organized workers and labor organizations campaigning over employment, wages, and workplace rights in South Korea. The 2009 Yongsan eviction crisis and labor disputes tested his government’s approach to protest.
Chung Ju-yung: A South Korean entrepreneur who founded Hyundai and became one of the country’s leading industrialists. As Hyundai’s founder, he presided over the company where Lee built his business career.

Linked from 3 pages