Lee Kangwon stands among the world's foremost authorities in the field of jewelry. As the wife of a former diplomat, she has lived across four continents, visited more than 100 countries, and made her home in cities including Brasilia, Bonn, Addis Ababa, Washington DC, Bogota and Buenos Aires. In 2004, she founded the World Jewellery Museum in Seoul, which houses one of the world's most comprehensive jewelry collections. Lee is also an acclaimed poet whose works have been internationally published, including First Aid Kit for the Soul, Tango and Guerilla and The Tears of a Chameleon. Over two decades, she has played a prominent role in the museum field as founding president of the Seoul Museums Association and board member of the Culture Foundation of the National Museum of Korea. In 2016, she was awarded the Korean Presidential Citation and the Seoul Culture Award for her outstanding contributions to promoting international cultural exchange.