 Lee made his debut in ISU events in 1992 at age 13, when he competed at the World Junior Championships in Warsaw.He did not qualify for the final distance, but his samalog total ranked him as 21st of 49 competitors and the second best from South Korea.He returned the following year but again failed to qualify, though he improved two places and was the best Korean after Bong Ju-hyeon got disqualified in the 1,500 meters.