Chairman Lee Pil-woo of Seoul National University’s Advanced Center for Administrative Development Alumni (SNU-ACADA). Chairman Lee, also chairman of the Association of Chungcheongbuk-do Residents Seoul and the Central Fraternity Association of Gyeongju Lee Genealogy

Chairman Lee Pil-woo of Seoul National University’s Advanced Center for Administrative Development Alumni (SNU-ACADA) is devoting himself to ensuring respect and trust throughout his life. 

He has served, and is serving former and current presidents. 

“Filial piety is a moral obligation human beings should obey,” he said. “From ancient times, it is considered as a fundamental to all deeds. Waning virtues of the modern time and social confusions stems from people’s staying away from filial piety.” 

Chairman Lee, also chairman of the Association of Chungcheongbuk-do Residents Seoul, chairman of the Central Fraternity Association of Gyeongju Lee Genealogy, and chairman of the 11th National Assembly Parliamentarians' Committee, made the remarks concerning the nationwide movement to promote filial piety that he is spearheading.

Chairman Lee is noted for his dedicated activities to promote filial piety. Lee has extended tens of billions of won of his own money to patronage filial piety organizations by exploring children and parents dedicated to the moral virtue and giving words of encouragement with awards. The number of children and parents dedicated to filial piety Chairman Lee has supported for the past 20 years stands in the hundreds. 

Lee is also considering giving 100,000 won to every centenarian living in Chungcheongbuk-do, a move to demonstrate an expression of determination to respect the elderly and promote filial piety.

Chairman Lee’s conviction toward filial duty is noteworthy. He tries to put into practice his lifelong tenets: filial duty and trust. For nearly one month from early June, Lee is staying at his countryside retreat, called “Yongchuwon,” in his native town at Gaeryong-ni, Chupung-myon, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, where his parents’ tombs are located. He has spearheaded renovations at the tombs and its surroundings to the point where his face is tanned by the strong summer sun. 

“How can I say filial piety without attending to my parents (tombs) I do some work, so my face is a little tanned,” Lee said. “I have to come down to Yongchuwon late this month get the unfinished work done.”

Despite being one of the richest men in Gangnam, Seoul, Chairman Lee’s way of living his life appears to be humble and candid. He also exemplifies the practicing of filial piety at home. 

Songgwang Temple Edition of Bumoeunjunggyeong,” a Buddhism scripture depicting gratitude to parents’ deep love, published in 1565, believed to be the oldest one.

Lee’s four children’s filial piety toward their parents is extraordinary. It is owed to Chairman Lee’s cherished view that practicing filial piety toward one’s parents should be passed down over generations.

Lee himself was born from the ancestors of the Gyeongju Lee genealogy, including renowned ancient Confucius scholar Ikjae Lee Jae-hyun, noted for the practicing of filial piety. Under the teachings of stern yet tenderly parents, Lee was schooled in Chinese literature from the age of four. 

Lee believes in lifetime learning.  At seven, he learned a thousand Chinese characters from the Chinese literary classic Zhouyi from his father. Lee, who read Confucian scriptures, was dubbed a prodigy. He attained filial piety, loyalty and classical scholar’s spirit while learning Chinese literature, which have now become his lifelong spiritual values. He values human beings, cherishes his family and relatives and shows generosity to those who drop in to his office, thanks to the virtues he attained during his childhood. 

He still recounts passages of such classic Chinese books as “The Book of Changes.”

Now, Chairman Lee is devoting himself to conducting a nationwide movement to promote filial piety, by presenting filial piety awards to people selected by the Association of Chungcheongbuk-do Residents Seoul and the Central Fraternity Association of Gyeongju Lee Genealogy. 

Chairman Lee Pil-woo of the Central Fraternity Association of Gyeongju Lee Genealogy presents scholarships and filial piety awards to youths at a association’s meeting. (Photos: Chairman Lee’s Office)

 A memorial built at the order of King Taejong of Joseon Dynasty in recognition of Korea’s greatest-ever musician, Park Yeon’s filial piety.

The Association of Chungcheongbuk-do Residents Seoul awards filial piety prizes and cash to 50 people during its annual general meeting. The Central Fraternity Association of Gyeongju Lee Genealogy participates in the movement by awarding filial piety awards each year. 

“Cheonjijigan Manmuljijung Yuin Choegui Goguhoinja Yigiyuoryunya,” he recounts. His explanation is that “human beings are the most precious among all things in the heavens and Earth since they have five moral virtues, so parents are to be generous; children filial toward parents; kings righteous; servants royal; husbands gentle; wives submissive; elder brothers love; younger brothers respect; and friends show benevolence to become ‘genuine’ human beings.”

While studying Chinese literature, Lee asked his parents, “Where are these classics I learn used?” His father, who was apparently somewhat surprised, said, “You learn these to harness your mind.”

Lee said he finally realized his father’s teachings while attending university. He explained that his devoting himself to serving his superiors as best he can is based on the wisdom of Chinese literature he learned in his childhood. Serving former presidents and the incumbent from Korea’s founder Syngman Lee to President Park Geun-hye for 62 years, Chairman Lee still believes in the deep-rooted respect and trust he has cherished. 

Lee always advocates principles as the spirit of the times. Lee said practicing filial piety is related to following the right virtues, citing Mencius’ teachings. 

“Gungunshinshin Bubujaja.” He interprets the saying as “the president should be worthy of being the president; the minister worthy of being the minister; parents worthy of being parents; children worthy of being children.” It means that members of society should perform their own duty to build a solid foundations for society and the nation, he said. 

Yeongdong, Chairman Lee’s native town, is recognized as a center of filial piety. Historical records prove this. Each village of the country received monuments and memorial stones in dedication to filial piety. 

One of the notables is renowned scholar Gaeae Kim Soo-on, who was recognized for his superb academic achievements together  with Korea’s greatest-ever musician, Park Yeon (1378-1458), who mastered a compilation of aak at the order of King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty some 600 years ago. The two hailed from Yeongdong, which still has a memorial that was built at the order of King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty in recognition of the musician’s filial piety. 

Chairman Lee Pil-woo of the Association of Chungcheongbuk-do Residents Seoul delivers a speech at a meeting of the association.

A calligraphic letter by scholar Kim Soo-on during the reign of King Sejong of Jeseon Dynasty. The late Kim, hailing from Yeongdong, was famous for practicing filial piety.

Chairman Lee hinted at a possibility of creating a space at his treat for many people to learn filial piety and nurture its principles. “Such values as royalty and filial piety should be established to put the order of the nation and society on the right track. Filial piety is no longer a relic of old times, but it’s the spirit of the modern time over which Korea takes pride and should recover,” he said. 

The great poet Tagore dubbed Korea as the “Un-extinguished Light of the Orient.” Lee said the poet was amazed by Koreans’ practicing of the traditional virtues of filial piety. Lee’s long-standing, dedicated mission to spread filial piety is an essential value of modern times.