Yi Hong (born 1974 in Seoul) is a descendant of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

rulers, who works as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a mea ...

and

entertainer An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms. Types of entertainers * Acrobat * Actor * Archimime * Athlete * Barker * Beatboxer * Benshi * Bouffon * Circus performer * Clown * Club Hostess/Host * Comed ...

. She is the eldest daughter of

Yi Seok Yi Seok ( ko, 이석, ; born 3 August 1941) is a member of royalty from 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 of Korea, and one of his consorts, Lady ...

by his second wife, Donkgo Jeonghui, and a great-granddaughter of Emperor

Gojong of Korea 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 ...

Biography

Yi Hong was born in Chigung palace in the neighborhood of Gujeong-dong located next to

Gyeongbokgung Gyeongbokgung (), also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, it is located in northern Seoul, South Korea. The largest of the '' Five Grand Palaces'' built by the Joseo ...

palace,

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 ...

, the main palace of the

. Her father, Yi Seok is the eleventh son of Prince Imperial Ui, the 5th son of

Emperor Gojong of Korea 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 ...

. He was a well known singer in the 1960s while in his twenties, having several hit songs including ''"Bidulgi jip'' (Dove's house). Yi Seok is currently lecturing at

Jeonju University Jeonju University (JJ) is a private Christian university in South Korea. The campus is located in 1200 Hyoja-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do. History Jeonju University was founded on January 9, 1964, as Jeonju Youngsaeng College (an eve ...

and several universities. Her parents divorced when she was at the age of three in

Korean age Countries in the East Asian cultural sphere (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and their diasporas) have traditionally used specific methods of reckoning a person's numerical age based not on their birthday but the calendar year, and what age one is ...

, so Yi was raised by her maternal grandmother. Since 1979, she had lived in the United States for 10 years. Yi did not know that she was a descendant of the Korean imperial family until she was at the first year of her middle school. She first met her father at her senior year of her high school 6 months before she took the university entrance exam. In an interview with a weekly magazine, she confessed that she felt glad to meet her father, and at the same time, she was in confusion. After graduation from the

Industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advan ...

department at

Hansung University Hansung University is a university in Seoul, South Korea. It was founded on December 21, 1972. The Design Campus is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Timeline 1945–1989 *Sep. 25, 1945 Acquired Kyungsung Girl's Art School *Oct. 5, 1945 Foun ...

, she worked as an

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

for a short period. Yi then studied business in Japan. Although she appeared in several films as a small roles, Yi officially started her career as an entertainer by starring in a KTF commercial. She also appeared in a

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

Anicall commercial, and singer

Jo Gwan-u Jo Kwan-woo (; born August 3, 1965) is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a singer in 1994 and experienced great success with his second album, 1995's ''Memory'', which sold 3 million copies and is considered one of the best albums o ...

's music video. In an interview with

Hankook Ilbo ''Hankook Ilbo'' () is a Korean-language daily newspaper in Seoul, South Korea. As of 2017, it had a daily circulation of about 213,200. It was previously published by the Hankook Ilbo Media Group, however following an embezzlement scandal in ...

in 2007, Yi Hong wished to restore the dignity of the empire. In 2000, she married

Han Yeong-gwang Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

(한영광), an

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. They have one child, a daughter born in 2001.

Ancestry

References

External links

Cafe

Royal City

Yi Hong's profile at Empas
*

*

1974 births Living people House of Yi South Korean female models {{Korea-bio-stub