Lee Eun-sang was a South Korean poet, historian, and writer whose career spanned much of the twentieth century.

Born on October 22, 1903, in Masan, Lee received his education at Waseda University and later at Yonsei University, two institutions that shaped his formation as a scholar and literary figure. His work as both a poet and a historian placed him at an intersection of creative and academic pursuits, and he wrote in the Korean language throughout his career.

As a poet and historian working in Korean, Lee engaged with the dual demands of literary expression and scholarly documentation during a period that saw considerable political and cultural transformation on the Korean Peninsula. His identity as a South Korean citizen situated his life and output within the particular historical circumstances of that nation, from its colonial-era origins through the decades following the establishment of the Republic of Korea. The combination of poetry and historical writing that characterized his professional life reflected a sustained engagement with both the cultural inheritance and the recorded past of his country.

Lee Eun-sang died on September 18, 1982, in Seoul, having lived nearly eight decades that carried him from his birthplace in Masan through the wider literary and intellectual life of the Korean capital. His work in the Korean language, produced across the overlapping roles of poet, historian, and writer, remained the consistent thread of a long career.