The Uncharted Path

Myong-bak Lee, current president of the Republic of Korea and former CEO of Hyundai, was once a poor boy whose only clothes were his school uniform. In this memoir, he attributes his success to the values of hard work and determination instilled in him by his beloved parents. Writing in a style accessible to all, he describes his youth and education, his business career, and his political successes, from the Korean National Assembly to mayor of Seoul to president of the country. The book was first published in Korea in 1995. In 2001, it was updated and expanded to describe his life after leaving Hyundai. This English edition includes end notes providing historical background and further explanations for Western readers. The book is illustrated with color photos. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Lee Myung-bak's election as president of the Republic of Korea in 2007 marked the capstone of a remarkable career for this energetic and visionary leader. Born into poverty in 1941, Lee briefly participated in the student activist movement of 1964 before going on to join the fledgling Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company the next year. Little more than a decade later he had risen to become CEO of what was by then a multinational corporation famous for its construction projects in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. After leaving Hyundai in 1992, Lee served two terms in the Korean National Assembly before being elected mayor of Seoul in 2002. As 10th president of the Republic, he has made "Green Growth" and sustainable development keystones of his administration, and hosted the G20 summit in Seoul in December 2010.