Lee Cheol-woo

Lee was born in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. He attended Kyungpook National University, where he majored in mathematics education. He also graduated from the Graduate School of Public Administration at the Yonsei University, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of management by Daegu University in August 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Lee served as a member and manager of the National Intelligence Service for more than 20 years before becoming vice-governor. He spent almost five years as a teacher in various middle schools before joining the NIS.

In the National Assembly, he was a member of the Intelligence Committee, Committee of Education, Science and Technology and the Special Committee of Budget and Account.

In April 2025, Lee registered his candidacy for the 2025 South Korean presidential election,^[2] but lost in the primaries held by the People Power Party.^[3]