Noodle King ‘Mr. Lee’ has died

Chul Ho Lee.Photo: Terje Bendiksby / Scanpix

Chul Ho Lee, better known as Noodle King Mr. Lee, is dead. He was 80 years old.

 

He passed away peacefully in his own home on Friday afternoon with his immediate family around him, the family tells NTB.

Lee has lived with Parkinson’s disease in recent years.

He was the first of the Koreans who came to Norway, he was 17 years old when he arrived in 1954. Lee was sent here for medical attention and follow-up of Dr. Bernhard Paus at the National Hospital after being injured in a grenade attack in the Korean war.

Lee graduated as a chef in Norway and Switzerland, and for many years he was a member of the Møllhausen chain. In the late 80’s Lee began importing noodles from South Korea. Mr. Lee’s noodles became very popular in a few years and is today a well-known Norwegian brand.

In 2004 he was honored by the King earning a medal for his long-standing commitment to Norwegian Korea veterans.

When the Norwegian Folk Museum opened the immigrants exhibition “Possibilities?” In 2005, Lee’s story was one of the support bars in the exhibition.

When asked about what he thought about his place in immigrant history, Lee responded to Aftenposten in connection with the exhibition: “If a person in need is waiting for a meal to be on the table, give them a tool to get food themselves. I received such a great tool in Norway. That gift I appreciate more than if I had brought home food with me. That’s my answer. ”

Lee is survived by his wife, three grown daughters and seven grandchildren.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today