The New York Times has revealed that Winston Lee, a Korean student involved in a high-profile gang sexual assault allegation case at Cornell University, is the grandson of the late former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo.
According to the publication, the New York Times confirmed the family relationship by cross-referencing public genealogies of the former prime minister’s family with internal university documents. His Korean name listed in Cornell documents matches the name and date of birth of the grandson recorded in the family genealogy.
The late former Prime Minister Lee served as prime minister, unification minister, deputy prime minister, and ambassador to the U.S. and U.K. After leaving public office, he continued various activities until passing away earlier this year at the age of 92.
Winston Lee’s father is Lee Hyun-woo, the only son of the former prime minister, who currently works as a finance executive in Hong Kong.
The New York Times also reported on Winston Lee’s school days. According to Cornell investigation records obtained by the outlet, he participated in a choir at a Christian school and attended a boarding school in Wales, which the Times suspects to be the Seoul Foreign School.
Winston Lee is one of the civil defendants in a 2024 sexual assault allegation lawsuit involving seven members of the Cornell University fraternity Chi Phi. The female plaintiff claimed in her complaint that Lee sexually assaulted her after making her inhale the anesthetic ketamine.
In contrast, Winston Lee denied the allegations during university investigations, stating that both the sexual contact and drug use were consensual. Following an internal investigation, Cornell University imposed a two-year suspension and a three-semester disciplinary probation on Lee in May of last year.
Meanwhile, after the Tompkins County District Attorney reopened the investigation last month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed State Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor. In response, Lee’s defense team requested the court to replace the special prosecutor, arguing that James had publicly supported the plaintiff and created bias among jurors. However, the Attorney General’s office stated that it would review the case based on facts, evidence, and the law.
To date, Winston Lee and other individuals involved in the case have not been criminally charged and have denied all allegations.
