"Human Traffic Light" Lee Booseob, 43 Years of Volunteering as Traffic Controller, Passes Away at 87

A Symbol of the Region Through Acts of Kindness and Protecting Children

Honored with a Merit Award in 2018 for Contributions to Human Rights Movement

Lee Booseob, known as the "human traffic light" for his more than 40 years of volunteering as a traffic controller in Daegu, has passed away.

Mr. Lee Booseob. Provided by the bereaved family.

According to his bereaved family on July 15, Lee Booseob died at his home in Yongsan-dong, Dalseo-gu, Daegu at around 6:30 a.m. that day, at the age of 87. From 1973, he had volunteered as a traffic controller in Daegu for over four decades and was affectionately called the "human traffic light."

Born in Daegu in 1939, he decided to dedicate himself to social service after meeting Pastor Kim Joungwoo of Namyeong Church in Daegu in 1972. In May 1973, he started directing traffic in areas of the city where the traffic police could not reach, running tirelessly throughout Daegu’s city center and school districts on the outskirts to protect young students.

While controlling traffic, he would also reunite lost children with their parents and hand over thieves to the police. Although his family relied on a sack of flour from the local government office each month for their meals, support and recognition—including donations from bus companies and schools and certificates of appreciation from the police—poured in for his good deeds. Along with his nickname "human traffic light," he became a symbol of Daegu. In 2008, he even threw the first pitch at Game 3 of the pro baseball playoff series between Lotte and Samsung.

In 2018, Lee was honored with a merit award at the 70th Anniversary Ceremony of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, hosted by the International League for Human Rights, in recognition of his 42 years of visiting marginalized neighbors and contributing to human rights movements.

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