He has worked as a reporter for Yonhap News Agency, one of the largest news organizations in Seoul, and as a North Korea specialist for Naewoe Press run by South Korea's intelligence agency. More recently he was correspondent and Seoul bureau chief for the Washington, D.C.-based United Press International (UPI). A multilingual journalist, Lee was a Research Associate at the Institute for International Studies at Chung-Ang University in Seoul and focused his research leading to a doctoral degree on the survivability of North Korea, applying interdisciplinary analytical tools. His publications include "North Korea's Policy Choice Pattern: Focused on Its Survivability", "Economic Analysis of North Korean Nuclear Choice," "North Korea Guideline" and "A Handbook on North Korea." MORE INFO