Princess Julia Lee of Korea (March 18, 1927 – November 26, 2017) was an American member of the

Korean Imperial Household 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 descendant ...

. She became the wife of Gu, Prince of Korea. The two were not married in accordance with Korean custom,Digital Chosunilbo Korea’s Last Princess Breaks Silence
and thus Mullock was not included in the Lee household register. The exclusion of Mullock from the registry also means that her being a member of the Korean Imperial Household is disputed.

Early life

Born in the United States, Mullock came from a

Ukrainian American Ukrainian Americans ( uk, Українські американці, Ukrayins'ki amerykantsi) are Americans who are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent represent ...

family. Mullock was working in the architectural practice of IM Pei when Prince Gu, a recent graduate of

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

with a degree in architecture, joined the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

firm. Tired of her work at IM Pei, she decided to immigrate to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Mullock taped an advertisement of the notice board of her office for her apartment. Prince Gu saw the notice, visited her apartment, and instead of purchasing it, he persuaded Mullock to stay in the United States. Mullock was said to be “deeply moved” by Prince Gu when he spoke a few clumsy

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

phrases he knew in an attempt to impress her.

Marriage to Prince Yi Gu

In 1958, Mullock met Prince Gu's parents, Prince Eun and Princess Bangja. In May 1958, Mullock and Prince Gu were engaged, and they married at the Ukrainian St George's Church in

on October 25, 1959. In 1963, Mullock moved to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

with her husband. Mullock and Prince Gu moved into apartments at

Changdeok Palace Changdeokgung (Hangul: 창덕궁, Hanja: 昌德宮; literally, "The Palace of Prospering Virtue"), also known as Changdeokgung Palace or Changdeok Palace, is set within a large park in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the " Five ...

. As a member of the Korean Imperial Household, Mullock devoted her time to charitable endeavors in her new homeland. Mullock opened a clothing store whilst in Korea to help finance her charitable endeavors. This was a time which Mullock called "the happiest times of my life". A cousin-in-law of Mullock said “Mullock fulfilled her duty as a princess of Korea’s last royal family, helping the needy and poor, particularly the handicapped people." Mullock continued her charitable activities for many years after the end of her marriage. Though unable to have children with Prince Gu, Mullock did adopt a daughter with her husband, Eugenia Unsuk Lee in 1969. Their adoptive daughter was born in 1959 in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Eugenia Unsuk Lee was never formally recognized by the Lee Family Council and therefore her being a member of the Korean Imperial Household is disputed. Prince Gu divorced Mullock in 1982 under pressure from the imperial family, as she had produced no heir. Mullock being an official member of the Korean Imperial Household is disputed, this is due to her discovery of her exclusion from the register of the Lee Family Council. Her exclusion became known to her when in the process of finalizing her divorce from Prince Gu in the United States. In 1995, Mullock left Korea for Hawaii. On May 1, 2005, she attended religious ceremonies at the Royal Ancestors' Shrine (''

Jongmyo Jerye ''Jongmyo Jerye'' or ''Jongmyo Daeje'' is a rite held for worshipping the late kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty in Jongmyo Shrine, Seoul, South Korea. It is held every year on the first Sunday of May. The Jongmyo rite is usually accompanie ...

'') with Mrs Gwon Heesun, her lady-in-waiting, and Princess Lee Haewon, a daughter of Prince Gang of Korea. Prince Gu, her former husband, who divided his time between Japan, where he worked, and his homeland of Korea, died of a heart attack in 2005. Mullock passed away at Hale Nani Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 26, 2017. Mullock was survived by her adoptive daughter, Eugenia Unsuk Lee who continues to live in Hawaii.

In popular culture

* In April 2006, the

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

division

Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in th ...

announced that it would be producing a

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

of Mullock with a working title of ''The Julia Project'' in partnership with South Korean

LJ Film LJ may refer to: Arts and media *L. J. Burrows, a fictional character on the TV series ''Prison Break'' *Lemon Jelly, a British electronica duo *'' Library Journal'', an American trade publication for librarians *'' Linux Journal'', an American m ...

. In August 2006 Focus announced that

Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 1 January 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2005 ...

had been chosen to direct the film.Focus has big designs - Entertainment News, Exclusives, Media - Variety
/ref>

References

External links

Digital Chosunilbo
— English edition * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullock, Julia 1927 births 2017 deaths House of Yi People from Pennsylvania American people of Ukrainian descent American expatriates in South Korea Princesses by marriage

Early life

Marriage to Prince Yi Gu

In popular culture

See also

References

External links