Yi Jong-geon (Hangul: 이종건, Hanja: 李鍾健 1843–1930) was a lieutenant-general of the Imperial Korean Army. He was ennobled as Baron of Japan during the

Korea under Japanese rule Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offic ...

. After March 1st Movement, Yi tried to return his title but he failed.

Life

He was born in 1843 as the son of Yi Gue-jeong and was adopted to Yi Gue-cheol. In 1859, Yi passed the

Imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

of military. During the Imo Incident, Yi executed some culprits related to the incident. For this merit, Yi rose his rank under the reign of Empress Myeongseong. He worked with

Bak Jeongyang Bak Jeongyang (; 1841 – 1904) was a Korean Joseon dynasty politician and edification activist. a member of Independence Club (독립협회;獨立協會) and the People's joint association, People's Joint Association (만민공동회;萬民共同 ...

and

Kim Hong-jip Kim Hong-jip (1842–1896) was a Korean politician best known for his role as prime minister during the Gabo Reform period from 1895–1896. His name was originally Kim Goeng-jip () which he later changed to Kim Hong-jip. His father, Kim ...

but had conflicts with them. After Gojong returned from the Russian legation, Yi became in charge of safety and attendant: he served as the commander of police, and Mayor of Seoul. On 1 October 1897, Yi was promoted to Lieutenant general, and appointed as minister of military of

Shim Soon-taek Duke Shim Soon-Taek or Sim Sun-taek (1824–1906) was a high-ranking official of the Korean Empire who proposed an anti-Japan policy. He came from the Cheongsong Shim clan. Gojong of Korea awarded the Order of the Plum Blossom to Shim in 1902. In ...

cabinet. In 1901, Yi served as the director of Military affair section of Board of Marshals, and wrote a guide about Army Ceremony. On 23 April 1902, Yi sent troops to Seongjin, where an agitation occurred. About the Korean invasion of Manchuria, Yi ordered Korean forces to cross the border of Korea and China by the request of Qing Consulate in Korea. In 1903, Yi was appointed as special officer of Gungnaebu. He was also appointed as minister of military in 1905. On 29 July 1906, Yi was appointed as Vice Speaker of Junchuwon. Yi tried to resign from the office but, Gojong did not let him. On 31 May 1907, Yi was appointed as chief of equerry replacing Cho Tong-yun. On 13 September 1907, Yi retired from his office. In 1910, Yi received the title of baron from 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 fo ...

. After March 1st Movement, Yi tried to return his title but he failed. He lived until 1930 and died in

. Because Yi tried to return his title, Yi was not considered as Chinilpa. But his son, who inherited his title was one of the Chinilpa.

Honours

Order of the Palgwae Order of the Palgwae was an order of chivalry of the Korean Empire that was given to military personnels and officials. It was established on 16 April 1901. The order was divided into eight classes. Form Order of the Palgwae had eight gwaes in t ...

3rd Class in 1901

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Jong-geon 1843 births 1930 deaths Jeonju Yi clan Lieutenant generals of Korean Empire Imperial Korean military personnel Officials of the Korean Empire 19th-century Korean people 20th-century Korean people Joseon Kazoku