[RAS Korea] Korea's Forgotten 28th King

A 1920 wedding photo of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Joseon / public domain

By Steven L. Shields

On June 10, 1926, Crown Prince Euimin (birth name Yi Eun) was officially elevated to the throne of Joseon following the funeral of his older brother, King Sunjong. From 1910 until he died in 1926, Sunjong was referred to as King Yi of Changdeok Palace. Euimin became King Yi II. He was officially His Majesty King Yi of Changdeok Palace, according to Japanese imperial pronouncements, public understanding, other contemporary accounts and with full consent of the Joseon Royal Court. He was the last reigning monarch of Joseon and the 28th head of the royal family.

Some argue that after 1910 the King of Joseon did not really "rule," and thus, the "dynasty" ended. Most lists of the monarchs also stop in 1910 with King Sunjong on the throne and the Japanese in power. These arguments are historically and factually incorrect. Article 3 of the 1910 annexation treaty is definite in ensuring that Joseon would retain the king, stating, "His Majesty the Emperor of Japan will accord to their Majesties the Emperor and ex-Emperor and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of Korea and their consorts and heirs such titles, dignity, and honor as are appropriate to their respective ranks, and sufficient annual grants will be made for the maintenance of such titles, dignity, and honor."

In December 1907, Yi Eun (then known as Imperial Prince Yeong) was taken to?Japan by the Japanese Imperial Resident-General in Joseon, Ito Hirobumi. He was only 11 years old. The official reason was for "education." But the prince was a hostage whom the Japanese intended to use as a pawn in their plan to obliterate Korean identity. While in Japan, the prince was sent to the Imperial Military Academy and later rose through the ranks of officers. He was compelled to marry a Japanese princess,?Nashimotonomiya Masako (in Korean, Yi Bangja).

In the official annals of King Sunjong, volume 17, for the date of April 26, 1926 (19th year of Sunjong's reign), a final note records the death of Sunjong, and the accession of the Crown Prince to the throne. In part, it states, "We received the imperial edict that HRH Prince Eun is now His Majesty King Yi of Changdeok Palace."

His Majesty King Yi visited Korea often during the next two decades, well into the years of World War II. Newspapers published here often referred to his visits with bold headlines, "His Majesty King Yi makes a tour of the southern provinces," "His Majesty King Yi has been made a major in the army," or a colonel, or a general, "His Majesty King Yi conducts Royal inspection of Joseon army." Dozens of such explicit references show that the people of Korea, and the Japanese Imperial government, fully recognized Yi Eun as the "reigning" king.

In 1945, with the defeat of the Japanese, Korea still had a legitimate king, Yi Eun. The royal family still maintained their official residence in Changdeok Palace with Dowager Queen Yun (widow of King Sunjong) occupying Naksonjae with a small retinue of court advisers and palace servants. The other princely sons of Emperor Gojong lived in their detached palaces in Seoul. Until 1948 the royal house of Yi maintained its vast properties throughout the country. They only needed the return to Seoul of their king, Yi Eun, who regrettably was trapped in Japan, unable to return.

In writing the constitution for the new Republic of Korea (promulgated July 17, 1948), Rhee Syngman and his American supporters explicitly abolished the monarchy. The constitution stripped the royal family of all inheritances, titles, properties and income. This action was unlike what MacArthur did with the Japanese emperor, whom he allowed to remain as the reigning monarch. The new government in Korea expelled all the sons of Emperor Gojong from their palaces and ordered Queen Yun to vacate Naksonjae. Oddly, the 1919 provisional charter of the Korean government in exile (in Shanghai, China) explicitly confirmed the legitimacy of the Joseon Yi royal family.

Reduced to the status of private citizens in Japan, Yi Eun and his family continued to live in Tokyo following Japan's defeat, unwelcome in their homeland.

Soon after taking power, President Park Chung-hee invited the Korean royal family to return home and permitted them to live in Naksonjae at Changdeok Palace. The return to Naksonjae included Queen Yun, former king Yi Eun and his wife Masako, son Yi Gu and his wife Julia, and Princess Dokhye, the youngest child of Emperor Gojong. Tragically, a few months before their scheduled return Yi Eun suffered a severe stroke. He spent much of his time at a hospital in Seoul until he died in 1970.

Yi Eun's posthumous title was Yeongchinwang. He is buried at the royal tombs in Namyangju, east of Seoul. His royal spirit tablet was officially installed, with elaborate royal ceremonies, in Jongmyo, the Royal Memorial Shrine.

The Royal Asiatic Society Korea has worked diligently for 120 years to research, analyze and publish Korea's rich history and cultural heritage. Regular lectures are open to the public as are excursions to interesting and relevant sites. Visit raskb.com for updates and current information.

Steven L. Shields, a retired cleric, serves as a vice president of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea (www.raskb.com) and is a columnist for The Korea Times.