BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 25. Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan died Sunday while visiting Vietnam on a business trip, officials said. He was 73, TurkicWorld reports via Qazinform.
Lee, who was serving as a senior vice president of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), died at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City at around 2:48 p.m. (local time) after suffering cardiac arrest, according to PUAC officials.
He had complained of flu-like symptoms prior to departing for Vietnam on Thursday and was preparing to return home Friday after his condition deteriorated.
He was transported to an emergency room on Friday after experiencing shortness of breath while waiting for his return flight at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.
He reportedly suffered cardiac arrest during the transfer to the hospital and another one at the hospital. Lee received a stent insertion procedure but later died.
A former seven-term lawmaker, Lee served as prime minister during the Roh Moo-hyun administration from 2004 to 2006. He was appointed as senior vice chairperson of the PUAC in October last year.
He took part in the pro-democracy movement during South Korea's military regimes, entering politics through student activism and opposition activities.
After democratization, he entered the National Assembly in 1988 and later served as education minister under the Kim Dae-jung administration and prime minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
Lee was known for his close ties with four progressive presidents -- Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in and President Lee Jae Myung -- earning him the nickname "kingmaker" for his role as a political ally and adviser.
As education minister, he pushed through sweeping education reforms that came to be known as the "Lee Hae-chan Generation."
