section_path: Early life
section_name: Early life
paragraph_text: Early life
  
  Lee was born possibly on 8 December 1963 in Andong, South Korea as the fifth of seven children. Lee's official date of birth is recorded as 22 December 1964. However, this date was arbitrarily selected by his father due to a delay in registering the birth. His actual birth date is believed to fall between the 22nd and 23rd days of the 10th month in the Korean lunisolar calendar.
  
  Lee grew up in poverty, and as a result of his family's lack of funds, he would frequently forgo social activities and relied on the generosity of school faculty to attend field trips and community movements. He has cited fishing along the creek with his friends as being one of his favorite pastimes.
  
  According to his first-grade report card, he was quite stubborn, he had normal grades, and he played well with his classmates. When Lee graduated from elementary school, the South Korean public school system did not give free education for middle and high school. His father spent most of the family's money on gambling, and Lee's family left Andong to find work.