Dr. Seong-Hee Lee is the former director general of the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), Suwon, South Korea. He now serves as consultant to various projects of the Korean government and is lecturing on plant physiology and experimental statistics at National Andong University.

He earned his B.S. in agricultural science, major in agronomy at the Seoul National University in 1979, Diploma in Agricultural Science and Ph.D. in plant science at Lincoln University College of Canterbury University in 1986 and 1991, respectively. He also took a policy development course for top-ranking officers in 2001 at the Central Government Officials’ Training Institute.

He worked for various agricultural technical and research institutions in Korea: The National Seed Production and Distribution Office and National Agricultural Materials Inspection Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF); and The Agro-chemicals Research Institute, Wheat and Barley Research Institute, and International Technical Cooperation Center (ITTC) of the RDA. He also served as director of the ITTC and head of the Research Planning Division, Research Management Bureau of the RDA. Before becoming director general of NICS, he served as director general of most of the Korean agricultural research institutions under RDA: (1) Agricultural Resources Department, National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology; (2) National Highland Agricultural Research Institute; (3) National Honam Agricultural Research Institute; and (4) National Youngnam Agricultural Research Institute.

Dr. Lee has published five books and more than 180 scientific papers and technical articles on agriculture. He has also participated in 45 international projects and meetings as the national representative or project coordinator for FAO, UNDP, UNIDO, Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC), CGIAR centers, Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), Council for Partnerships on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA), and others. He holds membership and senior positions in 15 local and international scientific and technical societies and academic institutions, and has served as chair of CORRA (2004-05); president of the Korean Society of International Agricultural Development (2006-07); president of the Korean Society of Reclaimed-Land Agriculture (2003-04); and vice president of the Korean Crop Science Society (2005-06). He also served in the Organizing Committee of the 5th International Crop Science Congress (2004-present); Korean Society of Wheat and Barley Development (2003-04); Korean Society of Rice Development (2005-07); Korean Society of Seed Industry Development (2005-present); and Korean Society of North Korean Agriculture (2003-06). He was concurrent professor at the Postgraduate Schools of Chunbuk University (2004-05) and at Kangwon University (2005-06).