Ye Wan-yong (; 17 July 1858 – 12 February 1926), also spelled Yi Wan-yong or Lee Wan-yong ( ko, 이완용), was a Korean politician who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Korea. He was pro-Japanese and is best remembered for signing the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, which placed

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 ...

under Japanese rule in 1910.

Early life and education

Ye Wan-yong was born into the Ubong Yi clan (우봉 이씨, 牛峰李氏) to a poor aristocrat family in 1858, but grew up with a lot of support after he became the adoptive son of Ye Ho-jun, who was a friend of

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898; ), also known as the Daewongun (대원군, 大院君), Guktaegong (국태공, 國太公, "The Great Archduke") or formally Internal King Heungseon Heon ...

and an in-law. He learned English and theology at Yookyoung Park, went to the United States to live as a diplomat, and returned to Korea to serve as a pro-Russian politician until the 1896 Agwan Pacheon incident, where King Gojong and his crown prince took refuge at the Russian legation in Seoul. As Japan grew stronger, he became a pro-Japanese politician. Ye was a founding member of the Independence Club established in 1896 and belonged to the "reform faction" which wanted to Westernize Korea and to open the country to foreign trade.

Career

Ye was a prominent government minister at the time of Eulsa Treaty of 1905, and was the most outspoken supporter of the pact which made the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwan ...

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...

of the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent form ...

, thus stripping it of its diplomatic sovereignty. The treaty was signed in defiance of Korean

Emperor Gojong Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) was the monarch of Korea from 1864 to 1907. He reigned as the last King of Joseon from 1864 to 1897, and as the first Emperor of Korea from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is known ...

, and he is thus accounted to be the chief of five ministers (including Park Jae-soon, Lee Ji-yong, Lee Geun-taek, Gwon Joong-hyun) who were later denounced as

Five Eulsa Traitors The Five Eulsa Traitors refer to the five officials serving under Emperor Gojong who signed the Eulsa Treaty of 1905, which made Korea a protectorate of Japan. The five officials were Education Minister Yi Wan-yong, Army Minister Yi Geun-taek, ...

in Korea. Under Japanese

Resident-General A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the '' genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated sa ...

, Ye was promoted to the post of prime minister from 1906 to 1910. Ye was instrumental in forcing Emperor Gojong to abdicate in 1907, after Emperor Gojong tried to publicly denounce the Eulsa Treaty at the second international Hague Peace Convention. In 1907 Ye was also chief amongst the seven ministers who supported the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907 was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1907. Negotiations were concluded on July 24, 1907.Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington, D.C., 1921-1922. (1922) ...

, which further placed the domestic affairs of Korea under Japan's control, thus completing the colonialisation of Korea by Japan. Ye is therefore also listed in Korea amongst the Seven Jeongmi Traitors. In 1909, he was seriously injured in an assassination attempt by the "Five Eulsa Traitors Assassination Group".

Japanese rule

General power of attorney to Lee Wan-Yong signed and sealed by Sunjong

In 1910, Ye signed the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty by which Japan took full control over Korea, while Korean Emperor Sunjong refused to sign. For his cooperation with the Japanese, Ye is also listed in Korea amongst the eight Gyeongsul Traitors. He was rewarded with a peerage in the Japanese ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ...

'' system, becoming a ''hakushaku'' (

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

), in 1910, which was raised to the title of ''kōshaku'' (

Marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

) in 1921. He died in 1926.

Legacy

After the independence of Korea at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the grave of Ye was dug up and his remains suffered the posthumous dismemberment, which is often considered to be the most disgraceful punishment in

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

ideology. Ye's name has become a byword for "

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

" in contemporary South Korea. However,

Seo Jae-pil Soh Jaipil or Seo Jae-pil (January 7, 1864 – January 5, 1951), also known as Philip Jaisohn, was a Korean- American political activist and physician who was a noted champion of the Korean independence movement, the first Korean naturalized cit ...

's ''Dongnip Sinmun'' (''Independence Newspaper'') never wrote a single line of criticism against him. The South Korean '' Special law to redeem pro-Japanese collaborators' property'' was enacted in 2005 and the committee confiscated the property of the descendants of nine people that had collaborated with Japan when Korea was annexed by Japan in August 1910. Ye is one of those heading the list.

Family

* Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Ye Yu-gyeong (이유경, 李有敬) (1586 - 1663) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Ye Heub (이흡, 李翖) (? - 1637) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother ** Lady Oh of the Dongbok Oh clan (동복 오씨, 同福吳氏) (? - 1637); daughter of Oh Baek-ryeong (오백령, 吳百齡; 1560 - 1633) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Ye Man-seong (이만성, 李晩成) (1659 - 1722) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother ** Lady Kim of the

Andong Kim clan {{unreferenced, date=December 2014 The Andong Kim clan (Hangul: 안동 김씨, Hanja: 安東金氏) refers to two Korean clans. They were prominent yangban families during Korea's Joseon Dynasty originating from Andong, North Gyeongsang provin ...

(안동 김씨, 安東金氏 �� (1659 - 1703); daughter of Kim Su-heung (김수흥, 金壽興; 1626 - 1690) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Ye Gu (이구, 李絿) (1688 - ?) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother ** Lady Jeong of the Dongrae Jeong clan (동래 정씨, 東萊鄭氏) * Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Ye Myeong-bin (이명빈, 李命彬) * Great-Great-Grandfather ** Ye Roe (이뢰, 李耒) (1733 - 1756) * Great-Great-Grandmother ** Lady Yun of the Haepyeong Yun clan (해평 윤씨, 海平尹氏) (1732 - 1809) * Great-Grandfather ** Ye Gwang-yeob (이광엽, 李光燁) *** Adoptive Great-Grandfather - Ye Gwang-yu (이광유, 李光裕) (1761 - 1800) *** Adoptive Great-Grandmother - Lady Kim of the

(안동 김씨, 安東金氏); daughter of Kim Yi-in (김이인, 金履仁) * Grandfather ** Ye Gyu (이규,李圭) *** Adoptive Grandfather - Yi Sik (이식, 李埴) (1777 - ?) *** Adoptive Grandmother - Lady Hwang of the

Changwon Hwang clan Changwon Hwang clan () is a Korean clan. With its bon-gwan in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, it remains the largest Hwang clan in South Korea. Origins Hwang Rak (), a minister in the Han dynasty, began the clan in Korea after being cast a ...

(창원 황씨, 昌原黃氏); daughter of Hwang In-do (황인도, 黃仁燾; 1740 - ?) * Father ** Ye Ho-seok (이호석, 李鎬奭) or Ye Seok-jun (이석준, 李奭俊) *** Adoptive father - Ye Hyo-jun (이호준, 李鎬俊) (1821 - 1901) * Mother ** Lady Shin (신씨, 辛氏) (? - 1893) *** Adoptive mother - Lady Min of the

Yeoheung Min clan The Yeoheung Min clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. The 2015 Korean Census counted 167,124 members of the Yeoheung Min clan. Origin The Yeoheung Min clan's progenitor was Min Ching-do (민칭도, 閔� ...

(여흥 민씨, 驪興閔氏); daughter of Min Yong-hyeon (민용현, 閔龍顯; 1786 - ?)He is the 4th great-grandson of Queen Inhyeon’s father, Min Yu-jung * Sibling(s) ** Older brother - Ye Myeong-yong (이면용, 李冕用) (1843 - ?) *** Nephew - Ye Hak-gu (이학구, 李鶴九) (1862 - ?) *** Nephew - Ye In-gu (이인구, 李麟九) (1867 - ?) * Wive and children ** Lady Jo of the Yangju Jo clan (양주 조씨, 楊州趙氏); daughter of Jo Byeong-ik (조병익, 趙秉翼) *** Son - Ye Seung-gu (이승구, 李升九) **** Daughter-in-law - Im Geon-gu (임건구, 任乾九) of the

Pungcheon Im clan The Pungcheon Im clan () is a Korean clan based in Kwail County, South Hwanghae Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Pungcheon Im clan’s member was 143881. Their founder was who was from Shaoxing, China and came to ...

(풍천 임씨, 豊川任氏) ***** Adoptive Grandson - Ye Byeong-gil (이병길, 李丙吉) (12 January 1905 - 29 July 1950) ****** Adoptive Granddaughter-in-law - Yi Byeong-jeon (이병전, 李丙田) of the

Jeonju Yi clan The Jeonju Yi clan () is a Korean clan with the surname Yi. Their Bon-gwan is in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The clan includes the former House of Yi which ruled the Joseon dynasty and the Korean Empire. Their founder was Yi Han (). His de ...

(전주 이씨, 全州李氏) ******* Adoptive Great-Grandson - Ye Yun-hyeong (이윤형, 李允衡) *** Son - Ye Hang-gu (이항구, 李恒九) (1881 - 1945) **** Daughter-in-law - Kim Jin-gu (김진구, 金鎭九) (? - 1933) ***** Grandson - Ye Byeong-gil (이병길, 李丙吉) ***** Grandson - Ye Byeong-hui (이병희, 李丙喜) ***** Grandson - Ye Byeong-ju (이병주, 李丙周) (1913 - ?) ****** Great-Grandson - Ye Seok-hyeong (이석형) ***** Grandson - Ye Byeong-cheol (이병철, 李丙喆) ***** Granddaughter - Ye Byeong-oh (이병오, 李丙吾), Lady Ye of the Ubong Ye clan *** Unnamed daughter; died young

In popular culture

* Ye is portrayed by Woo Sang-jeon in the 2015 film ''

Assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

''. * Lee Wan-ik is a fictional pro-Japanese Korean Minister that resembles Ye in name and action, are characters in the South Korean television series '' Mr. Sunshine''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ye, Wanyong 1858 births 1926 deaths People from Seongnam Kazoku Korean collaborators with Imperial Japan Korean politicians 19th-century Korean people 20th-century Korean people Traitors in history Officials of the Korean Empire Politicians of the Korean Empire Joseon Kazoku