Facts About South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Worked as a Factory Laborer in Elementary School and Nearly Died from a Stabbing

Lee Jae Myung was born on December 8, 1963, in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk Province, to a very poor farming family. Since elementary school, he had been working as a factory laborer making necklaces to help support his family because they could not afford further education.

After that, he worked at the Dongma Rubber factory and experienced an accident that injured his finger. Subsequently, while working at Daeyang Industry, a press machine crushed the joint of his wrist, resulting in a permanent disability and exemption from military service.

Due to being forced to drop out of school, Lee Jae Myung took the equivalency exam and successfully continued his studies in law at Chung Ang University with a scholarship. His life journey from factory worker to pursuing education shaped his political philosophy that is pro to the underprivileged.

As the Mayor of Seongnam (2010-2018) and Governor of Gyeonggi (2018-2021), Lee Jae Myung is known for his 'bulldozer' style, being assertive and unafraid to oppose the interests of power. He closed down dog slaughtering sites in Moran Market in 2016, popularized the 'youth dividend' program (universal basic income for youth), free school uniforms, and postpartum healthcare services without cost.

On January 2, 2024, while still serving as the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae Myung nearly lost his life while inspecting the construction site of Gadeokdo Airport in Busan. A man wearing a paper mask that read 'I am Lee Jae-myung' suddenly approached him during a Q&A session with reporters and stabbed Lee in the neck with an 18 cm long knife.

Lee was immediately rushed to Pusan National University Hospital and then flown by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital, undergoing emergency surgery due to life-threatening damage to the jugular vein. Fortunately, his injury did not sever his throat, although he was critically injured, and he ultimately survived after receiving intensive care.

At the peak of the political crisis in December 2024, President Yoon Suk Yeol issued an emergency decree to impose martial law in order to suppress the opposition. Lee Jae Myung climbed the fence of the National Assembly building while military troops blocked the main entrance, then broadcast his actions live. Together with the majority of National Assembly members from the opposition camp, he led a vote that successfully overturned the decree. This success paved the way for Yoon's impeachment by the Constitutional Court and marked the return of parliamentary power as a counterbalance to the executive.

After being officially inaugurated on June 4, 2025, Lee Jae Myung immediately took proactive steps. He emphasized that he will review the use of AI in education, with plans to reduce the curriculum's dependence on that technology and intends to make peace with North Korea.