The Honorable LEE Dong-won was born in Seoul on February 7, 1963. Justice Lee passed the 27th National Judicial Examination in 1985 while attending Korea University College of Law. Upon completion of his service as a military legal officer, he was appointed as a judge in 1991 and started his judgeship at Seoul Criminal District Court. He served at various courts including Seoul Central District Court, Seoul High Court and the Supreme Court. Immediately before his appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court on August 2, 2018, he had been serving as the Chief Judge of Jeju District Court.

With extensive knowledge on legal principles and deep understanding of the society, Justice Lee has endeavored for the people’s rights to be fully guaranteed and for social justice to be rightfully achieved through trials. He has also contributed to the establishment of the rule of law by providing impartial and reasonable judging criteria in nationally and socially significant cases, taking into consideration of the constitutional values and legal principles comprehensively.

Justice Lee authored a number of research papers and commentaries on judicial decisions in various areas including bankruptcy law and environmental law, and has a reputation for being well-versed in legal theories. In addition, as Chairman of the Committee for Compendium on Court Practice - Civil Procedure, he led the publication of its revised edition in 2017.

Justice Lee firmly believes that ‘a trial which treats people with respect’ could be materialized by attentively listening to the people’s earnest stories in the trial record, grappling with a problem to find out a solution, and making an effort to find the truth and deliver justice to ordinary citizens.