Yanghee Lee (, born 24 July 1956) is a South Korean

developmental psychologist Developmental psychology is the science, scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult deve ...

and professor at Sungkyunkwan University. She is most noted for her work in international human rights organisations. Lee is highly recognized nationally, regionally, and internationally for her expertise in human rights. She has published numerous articles and books on human rights and children’s rights.

Education

Lee earned her undergraduate (B.S.) degree from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. She later undertook postgraduate studies at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

and earned an M.ED. and Ph.D.

Human rights works and United Nations career

Lee currently serves on the Advisory committee of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. She is the founding President of the International Child Rights Center, a non-profit organization based in Seoul. In 2009, she received the Order of Civil Merit, the highest recognition given to a civilian in Korea, for her work in human rights. Lee served as chairperson of the

Committee on the Rights of the Child The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a body of experts that monitor and report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The committee also monitors the convention's three optional protoco ...

under the

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univer ...

from 2007 to 2011. She also served as chairperson of th
Meeting of Chairpersons of Human Rights Treaty Bodies
from 2010 to 2011. The

Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...

funded her work through several grants to the Sungkyunkwan University destined to support her research.

Myanmar

In 2014, Lee was appointed special rapporteur of the UN on the situation of

human rights in Myanmar Human rights in Myanmar under its military regime have long been regarded as among the worst in the world. In 2022, Freedom House rated Myanmar’s human rights at 9 out of 100 (not free). Overview International human rights organisations i ...

first established in 1992 under the Commission on Human Rights Resolution 58 and extended annually. Following usual practice, her appointment as special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar was extended for one year in March 2019. The Myanmar government denied access to Lee. She completed her term in April 2020, and was succeeded by

Thomas Andrews Thomas Andrews Jr. (7 February 1873 – 15 April 1912) was a British businessman and shipbuilder, who was managing director and head of the drafting department of the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland. He was the naval ...

. In the aftermath of the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

, she co-founded the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) in March 2021 alongside two UN officials, Marzuki Darusman and Chris Sidoti.

Titles, awards and honours

* 2009: Human Rights Award of Korea as Winner, National Human Rights Commission of Korea

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Yanghee 1956 births Living people South Korean psychologists South Korean women psychologists Developmental psychologists South Korean human rights activists Academic staff of Sungkyunkwan University Georgetown University alumni University of Missouri alumni United Nations special rapporteurs