During the Korean War, he served as an officer in the 6th Infantry Division, Republic of Korea Army.
Lee and two South Korean diplomats (Ahn Hee-wan and Seo Byeong-ho) failed to escape.
[3] They were arrested by the People's Army of Vietnam and held for questioning in Chí Hòa Prison in October 1975.
At that time, the Israeli businessman Shaul Eisenberg worked as a secret envoy for South Korea.
[3] In 2001, Lee met Vietnam's ambassador to South Korea 'Dương Chính Thức', who was the official responsible for his arrest in 1975.