[3] Lee briefly spent his childhood in Wolseong-dong, Gyeongju[citation needed] until he moved to Iksan, North Jeolla Province with the rest of his family in 1942.

[3] Lee graduated from Gwangju High School in 1958[1] and was admitted into Seorabeol University of Art's [ko][a] Department of Creative Writing,[5] where he studied with other writers including Cheon Seung-sae and Kim Joo-young.

He spent the rest of his youth caring for his mother who was diagnosed with cancer,[3] making a living as a vendor, private educator, waiter, and insurance salesman.

[3] Lee recalled in an interview that his lack of a formal degree ironically benefitted him by allowing him to write more books for a broader audience instead of having to focus on academic papers.

From 1989 to 1994, he directed the Tonghak Nongmin Chŏnjaeng 100-chunyŏn Kinyŏm Saŏp Chʻujin Wiwŏnhoe (Committee for the Commemorative Project for the 100th Anniversary of the Donghak Peasant War).