Lee is a journalist specializing in North Korea and unification. Currently, he heads the Unification Research Institute of the JoongAng Ilbo, a major newspaper in South Korea. As the JoongAng Ilbo's special reporter specializing in unification matters and North Korea issues, Lee's insights on North Korea can often be spotted in a number of outlets in the form of news stories, columns, as well as broadcast media appearances and lectures.
Lee has completed the doctorate program for North Korean studies at Korea University and was a visiting researcher at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He is also currently a senior council member at the National Unification Advisory Council, an advising body for the South Korean president, and also the secretary general for the Korean Peninsula Forum.
Some of the publications he has authored include <Successor Kim Jong Un>, <The Sunshine Report>, and <The Women of Kim Jong Il's Family>.