Lee Hee-ho

Lee Hee-ho, sometimes spelled as Lee Hui-ho (Korean: 이희호; Hanja: 李姬鎬; 21 September 1922 – 10 June 2019), was a South Korean women's rights activist, peace advocate and former First Lady of South Korea during the presidency of her husband Kim Dae-jung from 1998 to 2003. She is widely regarded as one of the pioneering feminists of South Korea. Throughout her life, she championed women's empowerment and elimination of gender discrimination. After her marriage, she worked for pro-democracy movements with her husband over two decades of authoritarian regimes. During and after her husband's presidency, she had participated in and led notable works enhancing inter-Korean relations. Lee chaired the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center, which was founded by her husband to promote peace and constructive inter-Korean relations, as well as to alleviate poverty.