A graduate of Somun Women's High School and Seoul National University, she joined the student movement in 1992.

Lee admitted her entry in the race was mainly to castigate Park Geun-hye, the Saenuri Party candidate, whom she called the "first lady of the dictatorial era".

[2] Although she polled less than one percent, she was invited to join the presidential debate because her party had more than five seats in the National Assembly.

[3] In the debate, she drew controversy by referring to Park's father, former president and dictator Park Chung Hee, by his Japanese name; and by referring to the government in Seoul as "the government of the South"— a phrase rarely used in South Korea but commonly used by North Korea.

[3] On December 16, three days before the election, she withdrew from the contest, "in accordance with the people's hope for integrating (opposition) progressive, democratic and reform-minded forces to achieve a change of government" and warned that Park's victory would mean an "irrevocable regression of history".