Lee was born in Korea in 1963 and has been working as a professor at Myongji University since 2003. His major research area is urban analysis and design. What Lee especially emphasizes in urban-related research is the function of the city. Contrary to the traditional view that a city is a place where people live together, it presents the view that it can be used as a tool for national or global regional economic growth. Through a number of papers, the possibility of cities as economic engines has been proved. For his research, he was awarded the thesis award by the Korea Institute of Architecture and Korean Research Institute for Human Settlements, a leading academic society in Korea. Recently, research has been focused on how to build an economic hub in Northeast Asia by developing a multinational city at the mouth of the Tumen River.