It has been eight years since the late Lee Jong-eun, a former popular 1990s broadcaster who became a U.S. lawyer, passed away.
July 18, 2026, marks the eighth anniversary of the late Lee Jong-eun's death. She died on July 18, 2018, while battling breast cancer. She was 49.
The late Lee Jong-eun, who grew up in Europe and Central Asia under a diplomat father, entered the broadcasting industry in the 1990s while enrolled as a member of the class of 1988 in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University.
She gained popularity through active broadcasting activities, filming more than 20 commercials and serving as a host on programs such as the SBS current affairs program "Morning Wide."
After marrying in 1997, the late Lee Jong-eun went to the United States to study, graduated from Law School, passed the New York bar exam and, while working at a New York law firm in 2013, practiced as a U.S. lawyer. She later worked back and forth between major Korean law firms and the United States, and from 2012 she served as a head attorney at Altamimi law firm.
The late Lee Jong-eun was diagnosed with breast cancer three years before her death and fought the disease, but her condition worsened and she died. Having converted to Islam, she was held a funeral at a mosque and was buried in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The late Lee Jong-eun's sibling said, "Until a few days before she left, my sister attended company meetings and did not let go of work until the last moment, and in the meantime she cared for those around her and showed what love and consideration are," adding, "To honor her contributions, Altamimi law firm, where she worked until the end, has decided to establish a foundation named after her."
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