Yi Won (; born Yi Sang-Hyeob; 23 September 1962) is a great-grandson 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 one of several who claim to be current head of 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 ...

Biography

Yi Won was born as the eldest son of Yi Gap, the 9th son of Prince

Yi Kang Yi Kang, Prince Imperial Ui (; 30 March 1877 – 15 August 1955), also known as Prince Uihwa (1891–1900) or King Ui (1900–1955) was the second son of Emperor Gojong of Korea and his concubine, Lady Jang, who was a court lady-in-waiting. I ...

by one of his partners at Hyehwa-dong, Jongno District,

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. He attended the Sangmun High School during 1979–1981 and completed studies in broadcasting at the

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a Private university, private research university, research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York (state), New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long I ...

, United States. He and his wife have had two children, the eldest son, Yi Kwon (), born in 1998; the other son, Yi Yeong (), born in 1999. He worked as a general manager of Hyundai Home Shopping, a

Hyundai Department Store Group Hyundai Department Store Group () is a South Korean retail conglomerate that spun off from Hyundai Group in 1999. The company began as Keumgang Development Industries established in 1971. It opened its first store in Ulsan in 1977. The flags ...

company, until Prince

Yi Ku Yi Ku (; December 29, 1931 July 16, 2005) was a Korean prince who was head of the House of Yi from 1970 until 2005. He was a grandson of Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. Through Kuni Asahiko his maternal great-grandfather, Ku was a sec ...

died on 16 July 2005. After the death of

, 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 ...

made him the heir of the late prince; Yi Won was later announced to be the director of the association on 27 June 2007. Officially, as noble titles aren't recognized by the

Constitution of South Korea The Constitution of the Republic of Korea () is the supreme law of South Korea. It was promulgated on July 17, 1948, and last revised on October 29, 1987. Background The Provisional Charter of Korea The preamble of the Constitution of Sou ...

, Yi Won is by birth a citizen in South Korea. He currently lives in an apartment in Wondang,

Goyang Goyang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's Satellite city, satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, w ...

, South Korea with his family.

Adoption controversy

According to the chairman of the association, Lee Hwan-ey (), in his last meeting with Yi Ku on 10 July, Yi Won was allowed to become his heir and Yi Ku signed for granting permission. Following the death of Yi Ku on 16 July 2005, the

appointed Yi Won as the next Head of the Korean Imperial Household and as such he inherited the title of Hereditary Prince Imperial (''Hwangsason'') from Yi Ku. Another meeting held on 21 July, within the association, was to determine whether Yi Won could be the successor of Yi Ku. Eventually, Yi Won's status as Yi Ku's successor was confirmed by the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association as of 22 July 2005. This claim was contested by his half-aunt, Yi Hae-won, who was crowned "Empress of Korea" by some of her relatives. In spite of this, he is annually called on to take the place of the sovereign at the

Jongmyo jerye ''Jongmyo jerye'' () or ''jongmyo daeje'' () is a traditional rite held for worshipping the deceased Joseon monarchs in Jongmyo Shrine, Seoul, South Korea. It is held every year on the first Sunday of May. The ''jongmyo'' rite is usually acco ...

ceremonies performing rites to his royal ancestors. Those who dispute the legitimacy of the adoption claim that consent for the adoption of Yi Won was not given by other members of Imperial House, including

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 ...

, the younger half-brother of Prince Gap, and Yi Hae-won, the eldest member of the house until her death in 2020. Also, Yi Ku died before the adoption process could complete; as such, according to present Korean law, a traditional posthumous adoption was no longer recognized by legislation as of 2004.

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

# Yi Han, d. 754? # Yi Jayeon # Yi Cheonsang # Yi Gwanghui # Yi Ipjeon # Yi Geunghyu # Yi Yeomsoon # Yi Seung-sak # Yi Chung-kyung # Yi Kyung-young # Yi Chung-min # Yi Hwa # Yi Jinyu # Yi Gung-jin # Yi Yong-bu # Yi Rin #

Yi Yang-mu Yi Yang-mu (; 1186–1231) was a Goryeo general and nephew of Yi Ui-bang, father of Queen Sapyeong. As part of the Jeonju Yi clan, he was the 5th generation ancestor of Yi Sŏng-gye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty. In his middle days, he follow ...

, d. 1231 #

Yi An-sa Yi An-sa (1204 – 3 March 1274) was a Goryeo nobleman who would become the great-great-grandfather of Yi Seonggye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty. On 28 July 1392, when Taejo made a new dynasty, he was granted the royal title ''King Mok'' (). Aft ...

, d. 1274 # Yi Haeng-ni # Yi Chun, d. 1342 # Yi Jachun, 1315–1361 #

Taejo of Joseon 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 ...

, 1335–1408 #

Taejong of Joseon Taejong (; 16 May 1367 – 10 May 1422), personal name Yi Pangwŏn (), was the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of Sejong the Great. He was the fifth son of King Taejo, the founder of the dynasty. Before ascending ...

, 1367–1422 #

Sejong of Joseon Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the n ...

, 1397–1450 #

Sejo of Joseon Sejo (; 7 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu (), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang (), was the seventh monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Sejong the Great and the uncle of Da ...

, 1417–1468 #

Crown Prince Uigyeong Crown Prince Uigyeong (; 12 October 1438 – 29 September 1457), personal name Yi Jang () and formerly called as Prince Dowon () was a Crown prince of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was the oldest son of Sejo of Joseon and Queen Jeonghui, also th ...

, 1438–1457 #

Seongjong of Joseon Seongjong (; 28 August 1457 – 29 January 1495), personal name Yi Hyeol (), was the ninth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. Before succeeding his sickly uncle, Yejong of Joseon, King Yejong, he was known as Grand Prince Jalsan ( ...

, 1457–1495 #

Jungjong of Joseon Jungjong (; 25 April 1488 – 9 December 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (), was the 11th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He succeeded to the throne after the deposition of his elder half-brother ...

, 1488–1544 # Grand Internal Prince Deokheung, 1530–1559 #

Seonjo of Joseon Seonjo (; 6 December 1552 – 6 March 1608), personal name Yi Yeon (), was the 14th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was known for promoting Confucianism and attempting reforms at the beginning of his reign. However, he later gained ...

, 1552–1608 #

Prince Jeongwon Wonjong of Joseon or Prince Jeongwon (2 August 1580 – 2 February 1619) was a prince during the Joseon dynasty. He was a son by a concubine to the Joseon dynasty's 14th monarch, king Seonjo, and half brother of king Gwanghaegun and father of ...

, 1580–1619 #

Injo of Joseon Injo (; 7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), personal name Yi Jong (), was the 16th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was a grandson of King Seonjo and the eldest son of Prince Jeongwon. He ascended to the throne after leading a '' cou ...

, 1595–1649 # Grand Prince Inpyeong, 1622–1658 # Prince Boknyeong, 1639–1670 # Yi Hyuk, Prince Uiwon, 1661–1722 # Yi Sook, Prince Anheung, 1693–1768 # Yi Jin-ik, 1728–1796 # Yi Byeong-won, 1752–1822 # Yi Gu, Prince Namyeon, 1788–1836 # Grand Internal Prince Heungseon, 1820–1898 #

, 1852–1919 # Prince Yi Kang, 1877–1955 # Yi Gap, 1938–2014 # Yi Won, b. 1962

References

External links