Ki-Moon Lee[2] (Korean: 이기문; October 23, 1930 – February 19, 2020) was a South Korean linguist. He was considered one of the leading authorities on the study of the Korean language.[3][4]
Ki-Moon Lee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 23, 1930 |
| Died | February 19, 2020 (aged 89) Seoul, South Korea |
| Citizenship | South Korea |
| Education | Seoul National University (BA, 1953; MA, 1957; PhD, 1973) |
| Awards |
|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이기문 |
| Hanja | 李基文 [1] |
| RR | I Gimun |
| MR | I Kimun |
Biography
editLee was born on October 23, 1930[3] in Chongju, Heian'nan Province, Korea, Empire of Japan as a son of peasant Lee Chan-gap (이찬갑). His older brother was historian of Korea Ki-baik Lee.[5]
In 1949, he fled from North Korea to South Korea. He graduated from Choongang Middle School that year.[6] In 1953, he graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Seoul National University (SNU).[6][3] He received his master's degree in 1957 and PhD in literature in 1973, both from SNU.[1][6] In 1959, he taught at Korea University.[1] He was a visiting scholar at the Harvard–Yenching Institute in the United States from September 1960 to June 1961.[7][6][3] He worked in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at SNU from 1962 until his retirement in February 1996.[8][3] He was the first visiting professor at the new Department of Korean Culture at the University of Tokyo in 1993.[3]
In 1982, he was made a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Korea.[6] In 1985, he served as the head of the Linguistic Society of Korea (국어국문학회). In 1988, he was the head of the Society of Korean Linguistics (국어학회).[1][3] He served as the 3rd Director General of the Korean Language Research Institute from March 16, 1988 to March 15, 1990.[8]
In 1990, he received the Order of Cultural Merit.[1] In 1996, he received the Order of Civil Merit grade 4.[6] He received the 1998 Fukuoka Prize for his contributions to East Asian linguistics.[3] In 2001, he was made an honorary member of the Linguistic Society of America.[9]
He died in Seoul on February 19, 2020 at the age of 89 (90 in Korean age).[5]
Awards
edit- 1985: Samil Prize
- 1990: Order of Cultural Merit
- 1996: Order of Civil Merit
- 1998: Fukuoka Prize
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 "역대 원장". National Institute of Korean Language (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ↑ "A History of the Korean Language". Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "LEE Ki-Moon／ Grand Prize 1998". Fukuoka Prize. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ↑ Sampson, Geoffrey (1985). Writing Systems: A Linguistic Introduction. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-8047-1756-7 – via Internet Archive.
- 1 2 박상현 (2020-02-19). "원로 국어학자 이기문 서울대 명예교수 별세". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "<한국인 오늘의초상> 국어학자 외길 이기문 명예교수". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 1996-04-04. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ↑ "LEE Ki-moon". Harvard–Yenching Institute. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- 1 2 "History of Director Generals". National Institute of Korean Language. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ↑ "Honorary Members". Linguistic Society of America. Retrieved 2025-09-25.