From Factory Worker to President -Lee’s journey to 21st Korea Prez.

By Ernest Bako WUBONTO

The narrative of Lee Jae Myung, as captured in his biographical records and the stirring account of his rise to the 21st Presidency of the Republic of Korea, is a quintessential story of resilience that mirrors the modern history of the nation itself.

His story, chronicled in the biographical volume “Who Is Lee Jae Myung? From a Young Factory Worker to President,” is an epitome of the highest motivational material any young person could draw inspiration from.

My emotions flared up reading this book about how Lee rose from the depths of industrial poverty to the highest seat of power. His journey is not merely a political ascent but a testament to the “Revolution of Light” and the enduring power of the people.

President Lee’s personal motto, “Man proposes, God disposes,” manifested during the restoration and healing in a country when its democracy was tested.

Following the narrative from his first job at age 13, at a necklace factory to the presidential blue house, Lee’s life is a testament to ‘what God cannot do, does not exist’.

Childhood Predicaments

Born into a family of slash-and-burn farmers in Andong, Lee’s early years were marked by a hunger so profound that springtime azaleas were viewed as food rather than scenery.

His formal education was cut short after elementary school due to extreme poverty, forcing him into the Seongnam industrial complex at the age of 13. Operating under a pseudonym because he was too young to work legally.

President Lee spent his adolescence soldering in necklace factories and grinding rubber in hazardous conditions that eventually cost him his fingerprints and left him with a permanently disabled left wrist.

The narrative spares little detail, ranging from the toxic fumes of a necklace factory, the rubber dust that erased his fingerprints, the press machine that crushed his left wrist, the bullying, and the despair that once led him to contemplate suicide.

These life experiences became the bedrock of his identity, an absolute solidarity with the marginalised. He was quoted to say that this pain became “The source of strength that propels me forward.”

His subsequent drive to pass the Equivalency Exams and enter Chung-Ang University College of Law on a full scholarship reads as an act of sheer, defiant will.

Despite the brutality of child labour and the physical scars he still carries, these experiences did not breed resentment but rather a fierce commitment to livelihood politics.

Legal Responsibility

He saw firsthand the injustice of a system where poverty was treated like a crime, and he vowed to create a society where everyone, regardless of their background, has a fair chance to pursue their dreams.

President Lee’s path to the law was paved by his own grit and the unexpected generosity of others, such as the academy director who allowed him to study for free.

After passing the bar exam in 1986, he famously described himself as a “Labourer dispatched to the legal profession.”

The book highlights how his legal career was a conscious effort in advocacy for those trapped in the same cycles of exploitation he had escaped.

Political Philosophy

Through his ability to endure any hardship, President Lee earned the nickname “Mudeoni”—one who endures without complaint.

The biography also details his executive philosophy, termed “Reformative pragmatism.” His tenure as Mayor of Seongnam and Governor of Gyeonggi Province is showcased as a laboratory for people-centered policy.

Political Awakening

A pivotal awakening came not in a courtroom but through the painful revelation of the truth about the 1980 Gwangju Democratisation Movement, which he termed his “Social mother.”

This political awakening shifted his focus from personal resentment to a systemic critique, planting the seeds for his future creed of “Restoration of democracy.”

The narrative argues that his leadership is defined by a practical, results-oriented approach born not from theory but from the survival instincts honed in his youth.

The “Revolution of Light” -2024 Threat to Democracy 

The most dramatic and defining sections concern the crises of 2024. The book presents a gripping, minute-by-minute account of the night of December 3, when martial law was declared.

Portrayed as a modern-day constitutional crisis, this episode becomes the ultimate test of President Lee’s convictions.

Using social media as a shield, he launched a live broadcast that summoned over 200,000 citizens to the Assembly grounds, effectively creating a human barrier against the military.

His daring act of climbing over the wall of the ‘Members’ Office’ building to enter the chamber and secure the vote to lift martial law has become a legendary moment in Korean political history.

President Lee’s desperate emergency broadcast, his perilous journey to the national assembly, and his climactic push for a resolution to lift martial law are depicted as a harrowing leap of faith in the people.

This event, labeled the “Revolution of Light,” is positioned as the climax of his pre-presidential life, proving his mantra that “politics belongs to the people” was more than rhetoric; it was a strategy for national survival.

The 21^st President

The final chapter chronicles his subsequent election as the 21st President in June 2025, as the opening of a new chapter of “restoration and healing.”

It meticulously links each chapter of his personal history to a defining principle of his leadership: childhood poverty to universal welfare, labour abuse to a fight for justice, the Gwangju awakening to democratic defense, and local governance to pragmatic statecraft.

Ultimately, the book makes a compelling case for President Lee Jae Myung as a leader whose authority stems not from establishment pedigree but from a life lived in the gritty reality of the nation’s industrialisation and democratisation struggles.

I recommend this book as a must-read for every child, youth, entrepreneur, politician, or marginalised seeking a spark to push them a step further or rekindle hope that it is possible.

 

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