Born in Gwangju, South Korea, Jaesin Lee studied composition at the Liszt School of Music Weimar in Germany. While still a student, his works were commissioned and performed by ensembles including L'ensemble Arcema (France) and the MDR Symphony Orchestra (Germany).
After returning to South Korea in 2005, he expanded his creative activities across concert music, opera, film, music theatre, and dance, collaborating with artists from a wide range of disciplines.
His music has been performed internationally, and his grand opera 1953 was selected as the Korea Arts Council's New Opera of the Year in 2018. His later works include the opera Jeom-rye and Young-ja (2021). He has also published books on film music, opera, and art song.
Alongside his creative work, Lee teaches composition and contributes to the development of contemporary Korean classical music through his artistic, educational, and scholarly activities.
Today, he continues to explore new forms of musical expression through opera, concert music, film, music theatre, and projects inspired by Korean culture.