Lee Jong-wook (12 April 1945 – 22 May 2006) was the Director-General of the World Health Organization for three years. He was born in Seoul, South Korea and died in Geneva, Switzerland.

He obtained a medical degree from Seoul National University, then enrolled at the University of Hawaii to study public health earning a Master's degree. Lee joined WHO in 1983, working on a variety of projects including the Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunizations and Stop TB. He began his term as Director-General of WHO on 21 July 2003, having been elected two months before. He was the first Korean to lead an international agency. He died on 22 May 2006 following surgery for a blood clot on his brain. He was posthumously awarded the Hibiscus Cordon (Grand Cross) of the Order of Civil Merit by South Korean Government.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics

External links

• WHO statement on the death of Lee Jong-wook
• WHO Biography of Lee Jong-wook
• New WHO Head: official UN Chronicle on-line
• Article describing the circumstances of his death and WHO legacy

1945 births | 2006 deaths | Korean physicians | South Korean health workers

Lee Jong-wook | Lee Jong-wook | Lee Jong-wook | 이종욱 | Lee Jong-wook | 李鍾郁 | Lee Jong-wook | Lee Jong-wook | Lee Jong-Wook | Lý Chung Úc | 李鍾郁