Sujean S. Lee ’03 made a nation proud last month by capturing the presidency of the Undergraduate Council.

After Younhap News Agency relayed word back to Lee’s parents’ native South Korea, her win was proclaimed over the airwaves and in print around the country.

“Many people are boasting,” said one South Korean journalist—who said that he “joyfully” heard the news from Younhap.

Lee is the first Asian-American president of the Undergraduate Council, which started holding popular elections for the presidency in 1996. Lee’s parents came to the United States 30 years ago and met in Philadelphia.

Her victory has been covered by five broadcasting companies and about 15 South Korean newspapers, including all three of the country’s top dailies.

Lee’s story was also covered on a popular talk show featuring a famous comedian (“the Jay Leno of Korea,” according to Lee).

The comedian and his co-hosts—a famous architect and a well-known supermodel—interviewed Lee both at her home and at Harvard during winter break.

Former council president Paul A. Gusmorino ’02 said he has never seen such international attention lavished on a council president before.

“It’s absolutely unprecedented,” Gusmorino said. “It could only happen at Harvard.”

Lee said the publicity is exciting, but she noted that it is also an ocean away.

“It’s sort of unreal because it’s so distant,” she said.

Korean journalists covering Lee’s story said the strong interest among

South Koreans in education and foreign universities have fueled Lee’s popularity in her family’s native country.

Jaeho Kim, the New York correspondent for the Chosun Daily News, said Korean parents are “eager” to provide their children with the best education.

“Parents are saying ‘Wow, a Korean woman became president of Harvard,’” Kim said.