| Lee Ying-yuan, PhD | |
|---|---|
| 7th Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs |
|
| Preceded by | Chen Chu |
| Succeeded by | Lu Tien-ling |
| Secretary-General of the Democratic Progressive Party | |
| In office 15 January 2008 – 15 May 2008 |
|
| Chairperson | Chen Shui-bian |
| Preceded by | Chuo Rung-tai |
| Succeeded by | Wang Tuoh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 16, 1953 Yunlin, Taiwan |
| Political party | Democratic Progressive Party |
| Alma mater | National Taiwan University Harvard University University of North Carolina |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Health economist |
Lee Ying-yuan (traditional Chinese: 應元; simplified Chinese: 应元; pinyin: Lǐ Yìngyuán) is a former minister of the Council of Labor Affairs of Taiwan of Hakka ancestry.
From a dissident who was imprisoned for advocating Taiwanese independence to become a staff member of the Cabinet, Lee Ying-Yuan, the Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs, has witnessed the democratic development in Taiwan for the past twenty years.
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In 1988, after receiving PhD in Health Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a letter of appointment from NTU, Lee was denied the entry to his homeland because he was blacklisted for his involvement in the World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI), a US-based organization advocating Taiwan independence, during the early 1980s.
After returning to Taiwan through illegal channels and avoiding intelligent agents for fourteen months, he was arrested with other independence advocates, which triggered the movement to repeal Article 100 of the Criminal Code. Pressure from the international community and within Taiwan itself forced the legislature to abolish the Article. Not only Lee and others were released but also freedom of speech and association was firmly established in Taiwan.
Lee was elected to the National Parliament, the Legislative Yuan, in 1996.
With the experience of being the convener of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee and Sanitation, Environment and Social Welfare Committee, Lee then became the youngest convener of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus in the legislature. Following DPP’s successful presidential election in 2000, Lee was appointed by President Chen Shui-Bian to be the Deputy Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the U.S. and then Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan. He was then the unsuccessful DPP candidate for Taipei City Mayor in 2002.[1]
Lee is married to Ms. Laura Huang (黃月桂) and has two sons.