John Lee Tae-seok

John Lee Tae-seok, SDB (October 17, 1962 – January 14, 2010) was a South Korean Catholic missionary priest, teacher, architect, doctor, and brass band conductor.

Early life Lee was born in Busan, South Korea.

Born among 10 siblings in Nambumin-dong, Busan, he was baptized as an infant by 'Father Aloisio Schwarz' at Songdo Cathedral. At the age of nine, his father died, and his mother continued to raise her children. When he was in elementary school, he saw the movie "Molokai," which is about the lives of Hansen's disease patients abandoned on Hawaii's Molokai Island and Belgian missionary Damian. After this experience, he promised to live the same life as Father Damian. During his school days, he continued religious activities such as Sunday school teaching, youth associations, student council, choir, and acolyte (the role of helping priests) in Songdo Cathedral.

He graduated from Kyungnam High School in 1981 and graduated from Inje University Medical School in 1987. While serving as a military doctor, he aspired to become a Catholic priest. After completing his military service, he joined the 'Salesian Society of Don Bosco Korea Province' in August 1991, especially with a keen interest in youth education. He then entered the Gwangju Catholic University in 1992 as a member of the 'Salesian Society'. He became novice on January 24, 1993, and he made his first profession on January 30, 1994. After completing his two-year philosophy course at Gwangju Catholic University, he also practiced a two-year course at the Salesian Monastery in Daelim-dong, Seoul. He then studied at the Pontifical Salesian University in 1997. While attending there, he met Brother Comino who had already served as a missionary in Korea for 20 years and was sent to Sudan in 1991. When Brother Comino stopped by Rome on vacation, Tae-seok Lee was encouraged to become a missionary after hearing Sudan's story from Brother Comino. When he stopped by Kenya in Africa for a missionary experience on vacation in 1999, he met a priest named James, an Indian-born Salesian who was active in Tonj, South Sudan. After visiting Tonj, he was strongly impressed and decided to devote his life to the poor children of Tonj.

In 1992 he graduated in theology at Gwangju Catholic University.

Legacy 2005 Seventh Injae Humanitarian Award 2009 Korean American Esteemed Doctor Award

alt=Fr John Lee and his Salesian brother organized an orchestra as like a brass band from South Sudan. His work is featured in the 2010 film Don't Cry for Me, Sudan.

The Lee Tae-seok Love Sharing foundation was created in 2012 and renamed to the Lee Tae-seok Foundation in 2020. On 2 April 2020 it was formally registered as an NGO in South Sudan.