[8] He visited 60 countries in the three years of his Generalship including Darfur, Sudan, sites of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Madagascar, Mauritius.

[10] He died on 22 May 2006, in intensive care unit of Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland, following emergency surgery for a blood clot in the brain (a subdural hematoma).

Secretary General of United Nations at that time, Kofi Annan mentioned The world has lost a great man today.

He was a strong voice for the right of every man, woman, and child to health prevention and care, and advocated on behalf of the very poorest people.

[13]President George W. Bush of the United States said Dr. Lee worked tirelessly to improve the health of millions of people, from combating tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to his aggressive efforts to eradicate polio.

He provided tremendous leadership to the international community as it confronted the challenges of the 21st century, including the threat of an influenza pandemic.

[14]He was posthumously awarded the Hibiscus Cordon (Grand Cross) of the Order of Civil Merit by the South Korean government.

[18] Starting in 2009, the awards would be given for mainly the fields "young leadership" and "contributor of health management" (especially for epidemics) at the annual assembly of WHO, which takes place in May each year.