A Tribute to the Late Dr. Lee Han-bin: My Guardian-Mentor
By Park Nahm-Sheik ||
Albeit much too belatedly, I wish to convey my wholehearted gratitude to Dr. Lee Han-bin, the founding dean of the Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University. Ever since my days as a graduate student at the East-West Center and at the University of Hawaii in the 1960s, Dr. Lee Han-bin always supported me as a mentor. Our journey together started when he served as my guardian at the beginning of my professional career as a teacher of English language and literature at Seoul National University (SNU).
We used to spend hours together in the evenings, well into the wee hours, on the ground floor of Hale Manoa, the men’s residence hall on the campus of the East-West Center and the University of Hawaii. Our chats ranged over a wide range of topics of current and/or historical relevance.
We also used to meet more formally at the John F. Kennedy Theater on campus, where I enjoyed the privilege of working as the go-to master of ceremonies, presiding over “Korean Night” events, spotlighting and celebrating Korean culture and history. I delighted in the extraordinary limelight afforded me at these events with a comprehensive cross section of the Honolulu community in attendance. Before long, he invested in my potential as a trustworthy Korea interpreter to the outside world.
Through our many years of collaboration, he never held even the slightest hint of prejudice against anyone. With the bias against people from Jeollanam-do (Jeonnam) as prevalent as it was in those days in Korea, he could easily have fallen into holding anti-Jeonnam sentiments. He could have easily followed others and kept a discreet distance from me, especially since I was a hardcore Jeonnam native who remained fiercely loyal to my home province.
However, Dr. Lee Han-bin seemed to appreciate me for being just who I was and what I was. I liked the vibes that emanated from his constant code of human decency. Looking back, he was the sole SNU-rooted academic to genuinely welcome me onto the SNU faculty, whose professors remained infamous for being famously cliquish. Truth be told, SNU as an exclusivist elite school was not supposed to harbor, still less welcome, a plain graduate of a provincial institution like my alma mater, Chonnam National University, located in Gwangju.
Dr. Lee Han-bin apparently admired my rise from humble rural beginnings to high-profile prominence, achieved against formidable odds. In retrospect, I was continually on the front lines of the discrimination against people from Gwangju and Jeonnam that prevailed throughout the country in those days. Indeed, I eventually took to describing myself, with unabashed sarcasm, as “a birthright persona non grata” in my own country.
I struggled at times as a desperate wanderer lost in the middle of nowhere. While I was wrestling in isolation, Dr. Lee Han-bin rescued me. It was my rare privilege, indeed, to count myself as a friend and ally of Dr. Lee Han-bin’s and later as a prized protégé. He was a practitioner of the “Love thy neighbor as thyself ” credo.
Thank you, Dr. Lee Han-bin, for the grace through which you genuinely cared for me without the faintest hint of pride or cynicism. Having been under your wing has enriched my life’s journey immeasurably, and I shall remain forever indebted to you. Had it not been for you and how you always supported me, I could never have even dreamed of securing a tenured position on SNU’s faculty. I shall try my very best to give back to the less fortunate members of our community of what you have so generously given to me over the years.
Sharing is caring. And giving is a far greater blessing than receiving. These biblical teachings shall make all of us planetary beings way better off than we would otherwise be. That was the greatest takeaway from my engagement with you, Dr. Lee Han-bin. As philosopher Francis Bacon stated, “Riches are like muck, which stinks in a heap; but spread abroad, it makes the earth fruitful.” I shall never forget that your valiant advocacy on my behalf helped me succeed, especially when I needed your help the most while I was knocking on the doorsteps of SNU with such ferociousness back in my twenties.
About Lee Han-bin
Lee Han-bin (1926–2004) was a prominent educator, diplomat, and former deputy prime minister of South Korea. He passed away at the age of 77 due to old age. Dr. Lee had a highly distinguished career across academia and public service. He graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (1949) and later shaped generations of public servants as a professor and dean of the SNU Graduate School of Public Administration. He also served as a career diplomat (Ambassador to Switzerland, Austria, and the Vatican, 1963-1965), and was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economic Planning Board (1979-1980). In this dual role, Lee is credited with maintaining national economic stability through a highly turbulent political era following the assassination of Park Chung-hee.
The Author
Park Nahm-Sheik is a native of Gwangju. After graduating from Chonnam National University, he received an MA at the University of Hawaii and his PhD at Georgetown University, both in the U.S. Upon completing his career at Seoul National University, Prof. Park served as president of the International Graduate School of English.
ᵃ https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100221695
Cover Photo: Lee Han-Bin (1926–2004). (Heeleney, CC BY-SA 4.0a)