Woo Hee-jong

Woo Hee-jong (Korean: 우희종, born 21 January 1958) is a South Korean educator and politician. He has been a professor of veterinary science at Seoul National University since 1992. He was one of the co-Presidents of the Platform Party, along with Choi Bae-geun.

Woo Hee-jong
우희종
President of the Platform Party
In office 8 March 2020 – 13 May 2020 Serving with Choi Bae-geun until 16 April 2020
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	(1958-01-21) 21 January 1958 Seoul, South Korea
Citizenship	South Korean
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Platform (2020)
Alma mater	Seoul National University
Occupation	Educator, politician

Born in Seoul, Woo earned a bachelor's degree in veterinary science at Seoul National University in 1981.[1] He then continued his postgraduate studies at University of Tokyo.[1] Following the graduation, he worked as a lecturer at University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Boston University.[1] In 2020, he established a new party, For the Citizens,[2] in which was later renamed as the Platform Party.[3]

Woo harshly criticised the-then President Lee Myung-bak for importing American beef to South Korea, which was related to mad cow disease.[4] Critics denounced him for exaggerating the disease.[5]