LEE Jong-wook

LEE Jong-wook was nominated on 28 January 2003 by the World Health Organization's Executive Board for the post of Director-General of the agency and elected to the post on 21 May by the Member States of WHO. The Director-General is WHO's chief technical and administrative officer.

LEE Jong-wook took office and started his five-year term as Director-General of WHO on 21 July 2003.

Born on 12 April 1945, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, LEE Jong-wook received a Medical Doctor degree (M.D.) from Seoul National University and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Hawaii.

He has worked at WHO, at country, regional and HQ level for 19 years in technical, managerial and policy positions, notably leading the fight against two of the greatest challenges to health and development: tuberculosis and vaccine preventable diseases of children. After heading the WHO Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunizations and serving as a Senior Policy Advisor, he became, in 2000, Director of Stop TB, a coalition of more than 250 international partners including WHO member states, donors, non-governmental organizations, industry and foundations. Dr Lee speaks English, Korean and Japanese, and reads French and Chinese.