Ms. Jinwoo Lee, former director of the Seongbuk-gu Library in Seoul, was elected as the 32nd president of the Korean Library Association on April 15. She is the first president from the public library sector since the association was founded in 1945, a position previously held almost exclusively by professors. Lee secured 1,480 votes (56.1%) out of 2,637 cast, prevailing over the two other candidates. She will serve a two-year term, from 10 July 2025 to 9 July 2027.

Ms Jinwoo Lee, newly elected 32nd president of the Korean Library Association

Ms. Lee was nominated as a candidate by the Library Innovation Task Force, which included those who have dedicated their lives to the library field and senior scholars who have made academic contributions as well as key figures from the publishing industry, lawyers, labor attorneys, and even a former member of the National Assembly – all united in their desire to see libraries evolve and thrive.

Instead of putting forth conventional campaign pledges, Ms. Lee traveled across the country to visit libraries and proposed key initiatives based on the voices of those on the ground. Her vision of building an association where all members actively participate transformed the election process into what many described as a celebratory event.

“An association that solves problems, stays dynamic in the field, and operates with transparency.”
Under this slogan, the President-elect outlined five priority initiatives:

  1. Launching a “Library Hotline” Situation Room
    Libraries frequently face unpredictable challenges. It can be difficult to know where to seek help. The “Library Hotline” will serve as a rapid response center, connecting library workers with experts—such as lawyers, labor attorneys, and accountants—to provide timely support.
  1. Organising a Media Correspondents’ Group and Hosting Regular Parliamentary Forums
    Raising public awareness of library issues is also important. Lee plans to organise a corps of media correspondents dedicated to library issues and to hold regular press conferences and parliamentary forums to call for legislative solutions.
  1. Year-round Library Visits and a Dedicated Library YouTube Channel
    To stay connected with members and promote knowledge sharing, she will visit libraries nationwide throughout the year and operate a YouTube channel featuring library-related content and broadcasting.
  1. Supporting CoP and Promoting International Collaboration
    To keep pace with societal trends and evolving library roles, Lee aims to sustain specialised research groups and expand international partnerships, sharing Korean library experiences with the global community.
  1. Building a Transparent Governance System
    She pledges to ensure full transparency by publicly sharing the Association’s financial records, meeting minutes, and activity plans through improved internal regulations.

With 25 years of experience driving innovation and development in the public library field, Ms. Lee is expected to bring fresh energy and transformative leadership to Korea’s library community.

After graduating from Yonsei University, Lee served as the Head of Seongbuk-gu Library in Seoul, Team Leader at Paju-si Gyoha Library and Librarian at the Bucheon-si Children’s Library in Gyeonggi Province.

She has also held key positions including:
-Member of the 7th National Library Committee
-Member of the Planning and Finance Committee of the Korea Library Association
-Member of the Development Advisory Committee of the National Assembly Library
-Co-representative of the Seoul City Librarians’ Council

Ms Jinwoo Lee, newly elected 32nd president of the Korean Library Association