Chairman Myung Oh, Chairman Lee’s predecessor, was expected to abdicate his position in August. However, as the selection of a successor was still under consideration, Chairman Oh extended his service until November. Chairman Oh is a graduate of the Korea Military Academy, received his Master’s degree from SNU and his doctorate degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stony Brook University. He was honorably discharged from the Republic of Korea Army as a colonel after 17 years of service. Before being elected as Chairman in 2010, he served as President at Ajou University and Konkuk University, from 2002 to 2003 and 2006 to 2010, respectively.

Chairman Lee received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from SNU in 1967 and 1970, respectively. He received his doctorate degree from Iowa State University in 1975. He had been a professor of the SNU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from 1976 to 2006, and his major research interests include mechanical vibrations, noise, and nonlinear dynamics theory in automobiles.

He was appointed as President of Seoul National University in 2006. Establishing the SNU Vision Plan 2025, he spearheaded many changes which resulted in holistic internationalization of university policies. He appointed 150 international professors, provided jointly offered classes, and dual degree opportunities. He also emphasized multidisciplinary studies, leading to the establishment of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at SNU.

Since his presidency at SNU, he has been involved in several government and civilian affiliations. Since 2010, he has been the chairman of the Climate Change Center. The Climate Change Center was founded in 2008 and strives to make contributions in combating climate change through proposals of environmentally friendly policies to the government and involvement in various educational activities.