The Jeonju Yi clan () is a

Korean clan Korean clans are groups of Korean people that share the same paternal ancestor. They are indicated by the combination of a ''bongwan'' () and a family name. Korean clans distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name. The ''bongwan' ...

with the surname Yi. Their ''bon-gwan'' is in

Jeonju Jeonju (, , ) is the capital and List of cities in South Korea, largest city of North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many resi ...

North Jeolla Province North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of South Chungcheong to the north, North Gyeo ...

. The clan includes the

House of Yi The House of Yi, also called the Yi dynasty (also transcribed as the Lee dynasty), was the royal family of the Joseon dynasty and later the imperial family of the Korean Empire, descended from the Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye. All of his descendan ...

that led

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

and the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

. Their founder was . He was Minister of Works () during the

Silla Dynasty Silla (; Old Korean: 徐羅伐, Yale: Syerapel, RR: ''Seorabeol''; IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between 57 BCE – 935 CE and was located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Paekje ...

and became the ancestor of a prestigious and powerful clan that held influence from the Unified Silla period to the

Goryeo period Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been cal ...

. On the other hand, there were records that claimed he was an immigrant from China. This is because the Jeonju Yi clan's record named ''Wansan Sillok'' said that Yi Han originally lived in China, but he later came to Silla. Moreover, another record named ''Origin of Yi Clan'' () said that Yi Han was originally a descendant of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

's imperial family and lived in Jeonju after he came to Silla. Yi Han's descendant,

Yi Sŏng-gye Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...

, seized power in a military coup and founded Joseon in 14th century. In the 21st century, the

Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association The Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association () is a family association based in South Korea founded by the Jeonju Yi clan, Jeonju Yi (Lee) clan, the household of Joseon and the Korean Empire, which previously ruled Korea. The association originated f ...

manages the affairs of the clan.

Notable people of history

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (; 24 January 1821 – 22 February 1898) was the title of Yi Ha-eung, the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s. Until his death, he was a key political figure of late Joseon Korea. He was also ca ...

, father of Emperor Gojong and regent of Joseon * Lee Beom-seok, Korean independence activist and politician *

Lee Bong-chang Lee Bong-chang (; August 10, 1900 – October 10, 1932) was a Korean independence activist. In Korea, he is remembered as a martyr due to his participation in the 1932 Sakuradamon incident, in which he attempted to assassinate the Japanese Emp ...

, Korean independence activist *

Prince Imperial Heung Prince Imperial Heung (, 22 August 1845 – 9 September 1912) was a prince of the Joseon dynasty and of the Korean Empire. He was the son of Heungseon Daewongun and the elder brother of Emperor Gojong of Korea. By birth, his original name was Yi ...

, prince of the Joseon dynasty and of the Korean Empire *

Yi Ŏkki Yi Ŏkki (; 3 September 1561 – 27 August 1597) was the commander of the Korean Eastern Jeolla Fleet and later came to be the commander of the Western Jeolla Fleet. At age 32, despite being 15 years younger than Supreme Naval Commander Yi Sun-si ...

, Joseon naval commander during the Imjin War *

Yi Je-ma Yi Je-ma (1837–1900) was a Korean medicine scholar in Late Joseon period. He wrote a book ''Dongyi Suse Bowon: Longevity and Life Preservation in Eastern Medicine'' () in 1894. The book is about constitution of people. He claimed that because ...

, Korean medicine scholar during the late Joseon period *

Yi Su-gwang Yi Sugwang (; 1563–1628), also known as Lee Soo-kwang, was a Korean sarim, a military official, and a diplomat of the Joseon period. He was also an academic and an encyclopedist who compiled the '' Jibong Yuseol,'' the earliest Korean encyclo ...

, Joseon military official and diplomat *

Yi Ŭi-bang Yi Ŭi-bang (; 1121 – 12 January 1175) was a military ruler of Korea during the Goryeo period. He was one of many military dictators of Goryeo in the aftermath of the 1170 warrior rebellion. Biography Background Yi originated from the Jeonj ...

, military ruler of Korea during the Goryeo period

Notable contemporary people

Lee Ahyumi Lee Ayumi (born August 25, 1984), professionally known as Ayumi in South Korea and Yumi Itō in Japan, is a Japanese-born South Korean singer, actress and television personality based in South Korea. She debuted under the stage name Ahyoomee i ...

, South Korean singer and actress *

Lee Chae-yeon Chae-yeon Lee (; born Lee Jin-Sook (); December 10, 1978), best known as Chae Yeon, is a Korean pop singer who rose to fame with her hit single "Two of Us" () in 2004. Career Beginning of career Lee originally began her career in Japan ...

, South Korean singer *

Lee Hoi-chang Lee Hoi-chang (; born June 2, 1935) is a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the prime minister of South Korea from 1993 to 1994. A political independent, he was a candidate in the 1997, 2002, and 2007 South Korean presidential el ...

, South Korean lawyer and politician * Lee Ji-eun, (better known as IU), South Korean singer-songwriter and actress *

Lee Jun-ho Lee Jun-ho (; born January 25, 1990), known mononymously as Junho, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band 2PM. Lee made his acting debut in the film ''Cold Eyes'' (2013) and has since starred in ''Twenty ...

, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor, member of boy band 2PM *

Lee Kyung-kyu Lee Kyung-kyu (born September 21, 1960) is a South Korean actor, comedian, MC, film producer, and screenwriter. He was the highest paid entertainer on the KBS network in 2010, with earnings of . Lee patented his instant noodle recipe ''Kkokk ...

, South Korean comedian and actor *

Lee Man-hee Lee Man-hee (; born 15 September 1931) is a South Korean cult leader. Lee is the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a South Korean religious group with teachings derived from Christianity that is considered a pseudoreligion or cult ...

, founder and leader of the

Shincheonji Church of Jesus Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (SCJ), commonly known as Shincheonji Church of Jesus or simply Shincheonji (; ), is a new religious movement established in South Korea by Lee Man-hee. It is considered ...

, a new religious movement *

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

, South Korean politician *

Yi Seok Yi Seok (; born 3 August 1941) is a South Korean entrepreneur. He is a member of the House of Yi, the royal house of Joseon and Korean Empire. He is the 10th son of Prince Yi Kang, the fifth son of Emperor Gojong, and one of his concubines, L ...

, South Korean entrepreneur *

Yi Tjoune Yi Chun (; December 18, 1859 – July 14, 1907), name sometimes rendered Yi Tjoune, was a Korean prosecutor and diplomat and the father of the North Korean politician Lee Yong. Early life Yi Chun was born in 1859 in Pukchong County, South Ha ...

, Korean prosecutor and diplomat

Fictional characters

* Ri Jeong-hyeok, a character from the South Korean television series ''

Crash Landing on You ''Crash Landing on You'' () is a South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo, and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye and Kim Jung-hyun. It aired on tvN from December 14, 2019 to February 16, 202 ...

References

{{House of Yi Clans based in North Jeolla Province

Notable people of history

Notable contemporary people

Fictional characters

See also

References