[1] He was born in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, South Korea.

[2][3] By the early 1990s, he started winning titles that his teacher, Cho, had previously won.

[4] Lee has won all of the international Go tournaments at least twice, excluding the World Oza and Ing Cup, which are held every two and four years respectively.

[citation needed] When asked if Lee's era was over, his teacher Cho Hunhyun simply replied, "No".

He continued, saying that Lee Sedol is just someone who has finally fit the description of a rival for Chang-ho.