Sung-Yoon Lee

"Lee Sung-yoon" redirects here. For the footballer, see Lee Sung-yoon (footballer).

Sung-Yoon Lee
이성윤
Born
Seoul, South Korea[6]
Academic background
EducationNew College of Florida (BA)
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (MA, PhD)
Doctoral advisorJohn Curtis Perry[1]
Academic work
DisciplineNorth Korea,[2] Korean studies,[3][4] East Asian studies[5]
InstitutionsWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Sung-Yoon Lee (Korean: 이성윤) is a South Korean scholar, author, and commentator of Korean studies and East Asian studies, and specialist on North Korea.[2][3][4][5] He is a former fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,[7] and former Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor in Korean Studies and assistant professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.[8][9][7] He was also an associate in research at the Korea Institute, Harvard University.[10] and a research fellow at the National Asia Research Program.[11]

In June 2023, Lee published his first book, The Sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World, profiling Kim Yo-jong, the sibling of, and closest aide to, Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader.[12][13]

Lee has provided advice to the U.S. government and is an outspoken proponent of several policies aimed at changing the North Korean regime towards a path of denuclearization and improvement of human rights, while keeping the peace and stability in Northeast Asia. Lee has argued that this can be accomplished with a dual strategy of stern treatment of the North Korean government through unwavering economic sanctions aimed at weakening the leadership and security apparatus, while engaging the country's people through information campaigns that break their isolation from the outside world, humanitarian aid, and a global campaign of human rights.

He has also stated that the U.S. and its military presence in Northeast Asia have brought decades of stability and prosperity to the region, and supports its continued stationing in the Korean peninsula. He also encourages the eventual unification of Korea under the South's direction, with the active support of the U.S. and China, and a resulting united country that is amicable to both powers.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thesis 1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Sang-hun Choe 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Soble 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Chan 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Shinkman 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference O'Connor 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Wilson Center 2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Caryl 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fletcher Profile 2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Korea Institute 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kirkus Reviews 2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Australian 2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).