WHO chief Lee dies suddenly
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the sudden death yesterday of Director-General Lee Jong-Wook, stunning ministers and senior officials from 192 countries at the opening of the agency's flagship annual assembly.
Lee died in the intensive care unit of Geneva's University Hospital at 7:43 am (0543 GMT) after undergoing emergency surgery Saturday to relieve a blood clot on his brain, the UN agency said in a statement.
The 61-year-old South Korean had suffered a stroke earlier in the day while attending an official engagement, a WHO official said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Spanish Health Minister Elena Salgado, who was chairing the WHO assembly in Geneva, made the announcement at the very beginning of the week-long meeting Monday.
"I regret to inform you that Dr. Lee Jong-Wook, director-general of the World Health Organisation, died this morning," Salgado said, adding: "For all of us, this is very sad news."
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