Former journalist who served as chief of staff to President Roh Moo-hyun, third chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation and president of the Korea Women's Basketball League
| Life | 1954 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 광산 이씨 |
Yi Byeong-wan (李炳浣, born 11 November 1954) is a South Korean journalist-turned-politician whose seat is given as Gwangsan by Wikipedia. Born in Jangseong County, South Jeolla, he graduated from Gwangju High School and from Korea University in journalism and broadcasting. This entry deals only with public activities and avoids personal details.
He began as a journalist at KBS's policy planning office and news division in 1982, then served as head of the political-economy desk at the Seoul Economic Daily and as economic desk chief and editorial writer at the Hankook Ilbo. In 1999 he was secretary for state publicity research and for domestic press to President Kim Dae-jung, and in late 2002 a secretary-member of the planning and coordination team of the 16th presidential transition committee.
Under President Roh Moo-hyun in 2003 he held posts in the presidential secretariat as secretary for planning and coordination, secretary for political planning and head of the political team, and senior secretary for public relations, and from August 2005 to March 2007 served as the 28th chief of staff (ministerial rank). He later headed the Participatory Government Evaluation Forum and chaired the preparatory committee of the Participation Party, and was elected to a basic council in Seo-gu, Gwangju, in the 2010 local election, serving until 2014.
From 2012 to 2014 he was the third chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, and from July 2018 to June 2024 the eighth president of the Korea Women's Basketball League. He became an endowed professor at Hoseo University in 2025 and is said to have been the 22nd chairman of the Korean Textbook Association since January 2026. He wrote "The Country of Park Chung-hee, the Country of Kim Dae-jung, and the Country of Roh Moo-hyun." His seat was confirmed only in one Wikipedia article and not checked against clan sources, and his current positions may change.
He began at KBS in 1982 and served as political-economy desk head at the Seoul Economic Daily and as economic desk chief and editorial writer at the Hankook Ilbo. From 1999 he worked as press and publicity secretary to President Kim Dae-jung, beginning his government career.
He was President Roh Moo-hyun's chief of staff from August 2005 to March 2007. He later served as third chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation (2012-2014) and president of the Korea Women's Basketball League (2018-2024), and is said to be chairman of the Korean Textbook Association since January 2026. Current positions may change.