A former chairman of Taekwang Group and a son of its founder Lee Im-yong [ko], he is among the richest people in South Korea.
As of December 2024[update], Forbes estimates his net worth as US$1.4 billion and ranked him 20th richest in the country.
[2] In 1997, at age 35, he became CEO of Taekwang Industrial and Daehan Synthetic Fiber [ko] upon the 1996 death of his father.
He made attempts to diversify the business, expanding into broadcasting, information technology, and more.
In June 2012, he was released on medical parole due to his liver cancer diagnosis.
[5] For over ten years, he has been in a legal battle with his sister Lee Jae-hun (이재훈) over inheritance from their father.