Prince Imperial Waneun (; 1 August 1842 – 28 October 1881) was a prince of 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 ...

and a member of the

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 ...

period royal family. He was a descendant of

Prince Namyeon A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fema ...

and an illegitimate son of

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 ...

and his concubine Kyeseongwol. He was an older half-brother of

Gojong of Korea Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate List of monarchs of Korea, Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 19 ...

and

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 ...

, and a half-uncle of Prince Youngsun and Emperor

Sunjong of Korea Sunjong (; 25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926), personal name Yi Cheok (), also known as the Yunghui Emperor (), was the last Korean monarch. He ruled from 1907 to 1910 as the second and last emperor of the Korean Empire. Sunjong was elevated to ...

. His personal name was Yi Jae-seon (). His Chinese name is unknown. In 1881, he was implicated in a conspiracy to dethrone Gojong and his

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, and was executed.

Biography

Family

Yi Jae-seon's actual birth year is unknown, but is thought to be around 1841–1842, or 1847. Yi Jae-seon was born in

Unhyeongung Unhyeongung (), also known as Unhyeongung Royal Residence, is a former Korean royal residence located at 114-10 Unni-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea. It was formerly the residence of the Heungseon Daewongun a prince regent of Korea during the Joseo ...

, Ahguk-dong in

Hanseong The region now corresponding to Seoul, South Korea has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age. It has been the capital of a number of kingdoms since it was established. Prehistoric It is believed that humans were living in the area that is n ...

. He was the first, though illegitimate, son of

Prince Heungseon 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 ...

(son of Prince Namyeon and a distant descendant of Prince Inpyeong). His early life is unknown. One opinion of him was that he was foolish or unintelligent. Subsequently his father's legal wife, Grand Internal Princess Consort Sunmok, gave birth to Yi Jae-myeon and

Yi Myeong-bok Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 1907, first as the last king ...

(Gojong, later the 26th King of the

Joseon Dynasty 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 First Emperor of Korea.) Yi Jae-seon was married to Lady Shin of Pyeongsan Shin clan. His wife, the daughter of Judge Shin Seok- wan (申錫完), survived until 1922 at least. They had several children. Other than the eldest son, Lee Ju-yong, the eldest daughter, Lee Chang-hwa, and one second daughter, their names and whereabouts have not been identified.

Military career

At some age, Yi Jae-seon passed the test to become a military official (무과 武科). In 1863, his younger half-brother Gojong became King of

. Queen Dowager Hyoyu (then known as

Queen Sinjeong Queen Sinjeong (; 9 January 1809 – 23 May 1890), of the Pungyang Jo clan, was the only wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong and mother of Heonjong of Joseon. She was never formally a Queen but was known as Queen Dowager Jo () during the reign of her ...

) was appointed Regent because Gojong was still a child. His father Prince Heungseon was appointed Daewongun. Some months later, Queen Dowager Hyoyu gave the title of Regent to his father. On 12 April 1864 (1st year of King Gojong's reign), Yi Jae-seon passed the special civil service exam for royal relatives, ranking third. On 21 June 1864 he was appointed the chief of the Military Training Center (訓鍊院). After 1864, he was appointed by way of promotion to further military positions. In November 1874, his father was removed from power, which according to legend angered him.[역사속의 오늘
8월29일/ 마오쩌둥, 인민공사 설립">��사속의 오늘">[역사속의 오늘
8월29일/ 마오쩌둥, 인민공사 설립 The Chosun 2003.08.28. Yi Jae-sun also perhaps supported his father due to the fact that he was a professional soldier (of relatively low rank).

Treason

At some point in 1881 or possibly earlier, Heungseon Daewongun's close associates Ahn Ki-young (安驥永) and Kwon Jeong-ho(權鼎鎬), who were dissatisfied with Heungseon Daewongun being forced to resign, prepared for a military coup designed to oust Gojong from the throne and instead place Yi Jae-seon on the throne. On 3 September 1881, these two men drew up a plan to gather people and prepare for a rebellion. They described the purpose of their rebellion as an anti-Japanese revolt, Towae (討倭). They contacted Kang Dal-seon (姜達善), a Confucian scholar in Yeongnam, and also interacted with Isolationist activists who opposed liberal reform and the opening of Korea to foreign influence. Participants of the coup were the conservative Wijeongchoksa Group (). On 3 September, Lee Pung-rae (李豐來 ), an officer of Gwangju Castle, who had decided to participate in the rebellion, reported the plot to the authorities, and most of the castle officers surrendered to them. Those involved were arrested on 6 September. The arrests included Ahn Ki-young, Kwon Jeong-ho, Lee Cheol-gu, and about 30 other people who were implicated. Further low-ranking officials from Gwangju also surrendered.

Yi Yun-yong Yi Yun-young (; August 19, 1890 – October 15, 1975) was an independence activist, educator, and Methodist minister during the Japanese occupation of Korea. His family clan originated in Danyang, and he was from Yongbyon in Pyonganbuk-do. ...

(Yi Jae-sun's brother-in-law) also surrendered to the authorities, having confessed to Gojong and the queen consort. The queen was also given information of the plot by another source. Ahn Ki-young, Kwon Jeong-ho, and the others who were arrested were interrogated and later executed.

Death

It was not initially clear as to whether Yi Jae-seon was directly involved or what his actual participation was. He was arrested, interrogated and sentenced to death.'군수비리'를 보면서 임오군란이 떠오르는 까닭
The Asiaen 2015.03.31. Some aspects of what happened thereafter are unclear. He was imprisoned on

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

. It is said that his execution ground was

Seodaemun Donuimun (), sometimes called the West Gate or Seodaemun (), was one of the Eight Gates of Seoul in Seoul, South Korea. The gate served as the westeren opening to the Fortress Wall that surrounded the city during the Joseon period. It was ori ...

(

Donuimun Donuimun (), sometimes called the West Gate or Seodaemun (), was one of the Eight Gates of Seoul in Seoul, South Korea. The gate served as the westeren opening to the Fortress Wall that surrounded the city during the Joseon period. It was ori ...

) in

. On 28 October 1881, he received punishment by poisoning and was buried in

Yangju Yangju (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yangju is located south of Dongducheon and north of Uijeongbu, not far from Seoul. In the past, it was one region with Uijeongbu-si, Guri-si, Namyangju-si, Dongducheon-si, and some parts ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

. His grave was later moved to

Wangsipri-dong Wangsimni-dong (hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the sha ...

in Seoul. In 1909, it was removed to

Siheung-dong Siheung-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Geumcheon District, Seoul, South Korea. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South Korea is made up of 22 first-tier administrative divisions: 6 List of special cities of Sout ...

in Seoul. The current status of the grave is unknown. On 15 October 1907, he was appointed to Prince Imperial Waneun, by emperor

, his half-nephew. But this posthumous title was not immediately granted.

Ancestry

Family

*Father ** Yi Ha-Eung, Grand Internal Prince Heungseon (; 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898) * Mother ** Gyeseongwol () * Wife ** Princess Consort Shin of the Pyeongsan Shin clan (11 August 1844 - ?) () * Daughters ** Yi Chang-hwa (; 1867–1937) ** Unnamed daughter * Son ** Yi Ju-yong (이주용, 李𡓣鎔; ?–?) ** Adoptive son: Yi Gwan-yong (; 13 February 1891–?)

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Kim Hui-ra Kim Hee-ra (born March 23, 1947) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Awards and nominations References External links * * * 1947 births Living people South Korean male film actors Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award ( ...

in the 1990–1991

MBC TV MBC TV (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Television) is a South Korean free-to-air television channel launched on 8 August 1969 and owned by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. History The Seoul Private Broadcasting Corporation was establish ...

series ''500 Years of Joseon Dynasty''. * Portrayed by Park Hyeon in the 1995

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

TV series ''The Radiant Dawn''. * Portrayed by Lee Woo-suk in the 2001–2002

TV series ''

Empress Myeongseong Empress Myeongseong (; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895) was the official wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. During her lifetime, she was known by the name Queen Min (). After the founding o ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waneun, Prince Imperial Heirs apparent who never acceded 19th-century Korean people 1881 deaths House of Yi Korean princes Imperial Korean military personnel Joseon politicians Executed Korean royalty People executed by starvation Deaths by poisoning Korean murderers