Professor Lee Cherl-ho (’63, Agricultural Chemistry) is Korea University’s (KU) honorary educator who has researched and studied about the food security problems in Korea for over 30 years. He served as the president of National Food Research Foundation (NFRF) of Korea and as the advisor of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO). With his recently published book Food war, Lee shares the experiences he had while serving the two prestigious positions and during his years of teaching.

▲ Photographed by Kang Hyun Ji

Half nonfiction novel, Food War was published in 2012 and instantly brought public attention about Korea’s collapsing food security. This book foreshadows a dark time in 2030 when the World War III will break out due to the unbalanced food system that our world is slowly leading today. Writing about the double-edged sword of the World Trade Organization (WTO), increased divergence between the rich and the poor, and the rising danger of global warming, Professor Lee’s passion in Korea’s food security system is also reflected in this book.

“Were” to College Entrance

The word “were” is likely to remind people of the tedious grammar lessons they had to take in school. For Lee, this word means something more than just a basic grammar word. “It was the very first English word I memorized in my second year of high school and it reflects the acute change I had at that time,” said Lee.

During his high school days, Lee was mostly into agriculture and dreamed of becoming a farmer. “I was so into farming that during the summer of my senior year; I searched for empty land to farm. When I did decide to go to college, I studied very intensely in order to fill up the studies I have missed” said Lee.

Less than one semester since he memorized his first English word, Lee was top of his class and with the help from his Chemistry teacher, developed his passion for agriculture to apply for the KU's Department of Agricultural Chemistry. With less than six months of ardent studying, Lee was admitted to KU in 1963 and he took his first big step in working for Korea’s food security.

Considering how his first step in academics started from the word “were”, it is amazing how this word and his continued passion for agriculture created the man who is admired and honored in KU as well as in the international society today.

Days in College

Lee attended college during the time of demonstrations. With the 6.3 Demonstration and continuous democratic struggles, there were many days when school doors were shut. Despite the harsh settings, Lee described his college life more romantic than the college life of students in this era.

“Although we did not have sufficient resources, students did not worry as much as they do right now. The only time I went to the library was to read History of Three States and heroic novels. That is why many of us were not as bothered by the world and follow our passion,” beamed Lee.

For his most lasting, fond memory, Lee recalled the day of his field trip. “I remember the day my peers and I went to a field trip to Seorak Mountain. As Agricultural Chemistry majors, we made Makgeolli and secretly put it inside a tin can to drink, but because the weather was hot, it burst out like champagne on the bus!”

Life as a Professor

As an honorary professor at KU, Professor Lee spent a great deal of time with his students from the Department of Life Science. “With the joint research my students and I had, we published books about food hygiene incidents that happened in the 21st century that included mad cow disease, food poisoning in school lunch and GM (Genetically Modified) food,” said Lee. Currently, his two research books are prerequisite books for workers in the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KEDA).

“I always told my students that they should be gratefulresearching and learning Food Science because it was a broad study that can be used anywhere if the students had the mind to do it. For me, it was also a blissful time spending my days with the students while also pursuing multiple career.”

“My goal in publishing the two books was to make people aware of the problems of food safety through the research my graduate students and I did for years. People are not fully notified the exact truth, who the victims were and what we need to do to prevent further problems. My job is to tell them the truth,” said Lee.

Works for Food Security

In his work as the president of NFRF, professor Lee worked his way to create an awareness about the severity of diminishing security of food in Korea. “Just three years ago, people were unfamiliar with the word ‘food security’ and often asked if it was similar to food safety. Luckily, with the increased awareness in the mass media and through the works done in the NFRF, people are slowly learning about such issue,” said Lee.

Lee continued, “In order to be more accessible for the people, I use my homepage. There are hundreds of articles that were published about food, annual statistics around the world and researches that many professors have done. I hope that this foundation would prepare the people in the worst scenarios and provide possible footsteps for the government policy.”

During his time in UNFAO, Lee participated in many forums and research about the changing food system in the world. In 1999, in a forum regarding Asia’s food security, Lee realized that countries like Korea, Japan and Taiwan that were comparatively rich, were becoming increasingly dependent on other nations for food.

“It may not look like a big problem to be dependent because the people can only see the surface of the problem. We are much too satiated with foreign products so people are not aware of how detrimental this problem can be,” said Lee with a concerned look. Statistically, the percentage of agricultural industry in Korean economy is now less than 20 percent and in order to provide minimum amount of food, 50 percent at the least must be covered.

“When a country cannot provide the minimum amount of food for its citizens and becomes overly dependent on other nations, it means that that nation will not be able to protect the basic necessities in times of crisis. Korea needs to protect its own agriculture and the citizen’s basic security,” said Lee.

“Korea is a country that moves after the public opinion changes. When the people feel the danger of food security that is when the laws for protecting our agriculture and food would be altered. ‘Security’ is a word that people do not often relate to food but food is the basic necessity that keeps everything alive and I believe that the food industry needs to take in a bigger role in order to protect Korea from the ‘Silent Tsunami.’”

To KU Students

Apart from the field of food security, Lee is very passionate about his students. As a professor who taught numerous students and did much joint research with them, it is not a big surprise. Lee said, “I sincerely hope that KU students realize how valuable their time in college is. What you learn, what you see, and who you meet will all mingle and define the values and goals you have throughout your life.”

“When I was around 50, I found the notes I took in college by chance. The notes contained college memories that were deeply hidden with the passing time, and what I wanted to be and the goals of my life. Marvelously, those thought and goals are the same ones I have today,” beamed Lee.