Yi Kang, Prince Imperial Ui (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 의친왕 이강, 30 March 1877－15 August 1955), also known as Prince Uihwa, was the second 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 ...

and his concubine, Lady Jang, who was a court lady-in-waiting. It was not until 1892 when he was recognized as a legitimate prince with the name of Yi Kang, and was titled Prince Uihwa with the style of ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...

'', following a decree issued by his father. He married Lady Kim Sudeok, a daughter of an official in court, Kim Sajun. Prince Yi Kang was not the

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

, even though he was older than his half-brother Prince Imperial Yeong, due to various reasons including the status of his mother.

Biography

Education and early life

There are not many official records about his early life, which may be caused by being born by Lady Jang, a court lady-in-waiting of King Gojong but not the king's official consort or concubine during her lifetime. Lady Jang came from the

Deoksu Jang clan The Deoksu Jang clan () is one of the bon-gwan or Korean clans from Kaepung County, North Hwanghae Province.The clan was founded by , an Arab- Uiguric Muslim civil servant who served in the Goryeo court. According to the research held in 2015, th ...

, and

Queen Inseon Queen Inseon (Hangul: 인선왕후 장씨, Hanja: 仁宣王后張氏; 9 February 1619 – 19 March 1674), of the Deoksu Jang clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Ho, King Hyojong. She was queen consort of Jos ...

(

Hyojong of Joseon Hyojong of Joseon (3 July 1619 – 23 June 1659) was the seventeenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1649 to 1659. He is best known for his plan for an expedition to the Manchu Qing dynasty, and his campaigns against the Russian Empire a ...

's queen consort) was her distant relative. According to the tradition, the half-brothers of the crown prince, in this case, Yi Cheok (future

Sunjong of Korea Sunjong, the Emperor Yunghui (; 25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926), was the second and the last Emperor of Korea, of the Yi dynasty, ruling from 1907 until 1910. Biography Crown Prince of Korea Sunjong was the second son of Emperor Gojong a ...

), needed to move out from the palace until the latter reached the age 10; as the result, there were some years that Yi Kang lives with

Pak Yung-hio Pak or PAK may refer to: Places * Pakistan (country code PAK) * Pak, Afghanistan * Pak Island, in the Admiralty Islands group of Papua New Guinea * Pak Tea House, a café in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan Arts and entertainment * PAK (band), an Ame ...

, the son-in-law of King Cheoljong."Records of the Japanese Legation in Korea", p. 384-385. During the

Gapsin Coup The Gapsin Coup, also known as the Gapsin Revolution, was a failed three-day coup d'état that occurred in Korea during 1884. Korean reformers in the Enlightenment Party sought to initiate rapid changes within the country, including eliminating ...

in 1884, Yi Kang and his mother were taken by Pak Yung-hio to the palace; contemporary rumors claimed that the coup d'état tried to replace the king with Yi Kang; but after the coup ended, Yi left the palace again. During his young age, Yi Kang grew up with a bad reputation because of his behavior. Later,

Queen Min Empress Myeongseong or Empress Myungsung (명성황후 민씨; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895In lunar calendar, the Empress was born on 25 September 1851 and died on 20 August 1895), informally known as Empress Min, was the official wife ...

, Gojong's wife, asked her husband to grant Yi Kang a title, so Yi Kang became Prince Uihwa (의화군) in 1892. After three rounds of choosing in 1893, the daughter of an official Kim Sa-jun, Lady Kim ( Kim Sudeok), was chosen to be the spouse of Yi Kang, which was arranged by Queen Min. Lady Kim, also known as "Lady Kim of Deokindang", was a distant relative to

Queen Inmok Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

, the queen consort of

Seonjo of Joseon Seonjo of Joseon (26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. He was known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign. However, politi ...

in the early 17th century; Yi Kang never had an issue with his wife. Even after getting married, Yi Kang got involved into deft and lawsuit problems. Prince Yi Kang was appointed special ambassador to the Empire of Japan for the celebration ceremonies for Japan's victory in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

of 1894-1895. According to

Yun Chi-ho Yun Chi-ho (Korean: 윤치호, hanja: 尹致昊, 1864 – 1945) or Tchi ho yun was an important political activist and thinker during the late 1800s and early 1900s in Joseon Korea. His penname was Jwa-ong (좌옹, 佐翁); his courtesy name wa ...

, who met Yi before going Europe, assessed him as a smart 18 years old who had a good personality like his father but worried to study abroad. In August 1895, Yi was appointed as Special ambassador and visited some European countries including, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. In 1899, he in Japan. According to Japanese record, 3,000 Won was sent for Yi. While he was not in Korea, Yi Kang was promoted to the rank of Prince Imperial Ui, and styled ''

His Imperial Highness His/Her Imperial Highness (abbreviation HIH) is a style used by members of an imperial family to denote ''imperial'' – as opposed to ''royal'' – status to show that the holder in question is descended from an emperor rather than a king ( ...

'' in 1900. At the same year, he went to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and began studies at

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional pr ...

Salem, Virginia Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combin ...

from March 1901, where he majored in mathematics. While he was in the United States, the Korean Government gave him 30,000 Won in 1902. While in America, Yi was beaten by some Americans in 1903. In 1904, some Korean foreign students tried to abdicate Gojong and make Yi the emperor. After graduation, he spent a brief period at the

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

Delaware, Ohio Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio m ...

, and then traveled to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, returning to Korea on 15 March 1906. Same year, he got

Order of the Golden Ruler The Order of the Golden Ruler or the Order of the Taejo was the highest Order of chivalry in the Korean Empire. It was established on 17 April 1900 by Gojong of Korea, four years after he established the Korean Empire. History In the summer of ...

. On 8 April 1906, Yi was appointed as Lieutenant General (부장). He was appointed as Chanmogwan and was ordered to participated in the

Military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

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 ...

. He received 1st class of

Order of the Paulownia Flowers The is an order presented by the Japanese government. Established in 1888 during the Meiji Restoration as the highest award in the Order of the Rising Sun; however, since 2003 it has been an Order in its own right. The only grade of the order ...

from the Japanese Government while he was in Japan. Prince Yi Kang served as the president of the

Korean Red Cross The Republic of Korea National Red Cross (more commonly known as the Korean Red Cross) is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside South Korea. It is the designated South Korean aff ...

from 1906 to 1907. On 15 January 1907, Yi persuaded civilians and military personnels to raise

Righteous army Righteous armies, sometimes called irregular armies or militias, are informal civilian militias that have appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged during th ...

. When

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 ...

was abdicated and

Emperor Sunjong Sunjong, the Emperor Yunghui (; 25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926), was the second and the last Emperor of Korea, of the Yi dynasty, ruling from 1907 until 1910. Biography Crown Prince of Korea Sunjong was the second son of Emperor Gojong a ...

succeeded as the Emperor, Yi was not appointed as the crown prince, but his younger brother,

Yi Un Prince Imperial Yeong, Yi Un, Crown Prince Uimin (also Euimin), also known as Yi Un, Yi Eun, Lee Eun and Un Yi (20 October 1897 – 1 May 1970), was the 28th Head of the Korean Imperial House, an Imperial Japanese Army general and the last crown ...

, was appointed as the crown prince because, Yi did not receive public support and Gojong did not like him. Also,

Imperial Consort Sunheon Imperial Noble Consort Sunheon of the Yeongwol Eom clan (2 February 1854 – 20 July 1911) (순헌황귀비 엄씨) was a consort of the Korean king and emperor Gojong of Korea, Gojong. She was given the posthumous title of Sunheon Hwang-Gwi-bi "S ...

bribed

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 samur ...

, who was the Japanese Resident General of Korea, to appoint her son as the crown prince. When

was assassinated by

An Jung-geun Ahn Jung-geun, sometimes spelled Ahn Joong-keun (; 2 September 1879 – 26 March 1910; baptismal name: Thomas Ahn ), was a Korean-independence activist, nationalist, and pan-Asianist. He is famous for assassination of Itō Hirobumi, the first ...

, Yi was ordered to participate the funeral as deputy of Korean Imperial House. But the order was canceled and Minister of Imperial Household Min Byeong-seok was sent instead.

Under Japanese rule

Following the abdication of

in 1907, and the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910 by which Korea was annexed to the

, Prince Yi Kang grew increasingly dissatisfied with his status, even though the Japanese provided him with a huge annual allowance. At the same time, the title "Prince Imperial Ui" was abolished and he was known as the "Duke Yi Kang", a title given by Japanese. During the

March 1st Movement The March 1st Movement, also known as the Sam-il (3-1) Movement (Hangul: 삼일 운동; Hanja: 三一運動), was a protest movement by Korean people and students calling for independence from Japan in 1919, and protesting forced assimilation ...

, Yi participated as one of the representatives of Korea. Since Yi used to study abroad and know much about the world, the

Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was a partially recognized Korean government-in-exile based in Shanghai, China, and later in Chongqing, during the period of Japanese c ...

wanted Yi to join the government. After the escape of

Gim Ga-jin Gim Ga-jin was an Imperial Korean politician, diplomat and an independence activist during Korea under Japanese rule. Life Gim was born in 1846. His father was Gim Ung-gyun, who was a member of Andong Kim clan. His father was a Yejo Minister. ...

, an Imperial Korean official before, the Provisional Government's objective was Yi's refuge to Shanghai. On 9 November 1919, he collaborated with Choe Ik-hwan, a member of Daedongdan, who attempted to support him as the new leader of Korea. Prince Yi Kang then tried to escape to the

Provisional Government of Korea The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was a partially recognized Korean government-in-exile based in Shanghai, China, and later in Chongqing, during the period of Japanese ...

based in Shanghai, only to be discovered in

Dandong Dandong (), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea across the ...

from

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...

and returned to his home country. Lee Jong-Wook got orders from

Ahn Changho Ahn Changho, sometimes An Chang-ho (; , November 9, 1878 – March 10, 1938) was a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is also referred to by his pen na ...

to accompany Yi and help escape of Yi. With the help of Cheon Un-boek, who was an employee of the

Japanese General Government Building The Japanese General Government Building ( ko, 조선총독부 청사, ''Joseon-chongdokbu Cheongsa''), also known as the Government-General Building and the Seoul Capitol, was a building located in Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea, from 19 ...

, Yi successfully met Lee Jong-Wook, who came to rescue him. Yi faked his face by attaching mustaches on his face. However, Yi was caught near the Dandong Station, which is located in

Zhenxing District Zhenxing District () is a district of the city of Dandong, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Administrative Divisions There are nine subdistricts and one town in the district. Subdistricts: * Yongchang Subdistrict (), Liudaogou Subdistrict ...

. On 13 November 1919, Yi was sent back to Kyeongseong by Japanese police force. After this, the Japanese government claimed that Yi Kang was "abducted" and "wanted to escape to live profligately again". Later, Yi Kang asked to deprive his title multiple times but he wasn't approved. Yi's home became part of

Deoksugung Deoksugung, also known as Gyeongun-gung, Deoksugung Palace, or Deoksu Palace, is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea's Royal Family during the Joseon monarchy until Korea under Japanese rule, the annexa ...

. On 20 November 1919, Yi had an interview with

Tongnip Sinmun ''The Independent'' or ''Tongnip Sinmun'' (독립신문; 1896–1899) was an early Korean newspaper. ''Tongnip Sinmun'' was the first privately managed modern daily newspaper in Korea. It was founded in July 1896 by a member of the enlightened Ko ...

. He said that he would rather be a peasant of the independent Korea than a noble of

. During the reign of

Saitō Makoto Viscount was a Japanese naval officer and politician. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Saitō Makoto"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 809. Upon distinguishing himself during his command of two cruisers in the First Sino-Japanese War, Saitō rose ...

, Saitō met Yi many times and tried to change his stance about the independence. As of November 10, 1925, a law for defining the status of the former Korean imperial family was made; on June 12, 1930, Yi Kang officially retired and his eldest son

Yi Geon Colonel Prince Yi Geon (October 28, 1909 – December 21, 1990), also Ri Ken and , was a Korean prince and a cavalry officer in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The first son of Prince Yi Kang of Korea by Lady Jeong, he was a gran ...

succeeded him as duke, but Yi Kang's styles and allowances still remained until 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Throughout the Japanese rule, there were only few members of Yi Kang family recognized by Japan: Yi Kang himself, his wife Kim Sudeok (Duchess Consort of Yi Kang), his eldest son Duke

with his family, and his second son Duke

Yi U Colonel Prince Yi U (15 November 1912 – 7 August 1945) was a member of the imperial family of Korea as a prince, the 4th head of Unhyeon Palace, and a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He was killed ...

(adopted as the heir to Duke

Yi Jun-yong Yi Junyong (Hangul: 이준용, Hanja: 李埈鎔), known as Prince Yeongseon (영선군, 永善君) (23 July 1870 – 22 March 1917) was a politician, thinker, and member of the Korean Joseon Dynasty's royal family, politicians, and later became ...

in 1917) with his family.

After Independence

After the independence of Korea, he continued to live 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 ...

, but in increasing poverty. On 9 August 1955 he was baptized a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, given the Christian name "

Pius Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius ...

"; Lady Kim was also baptized and had a name "Maria". Yi said that the reason why he was baptized a Roman Catholic was to apologize the Anti-Catholic of

Joseon 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 ...

led by

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 ...

. Yi Kang died a week later on August 15, 1955, at the age of 78, in his mansion "Seongrakwon" Manor (now Seongnagwon Garden, in

Seongbuk District Seongbuk District (Seongbuk-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located in the mid-north part of the city. The current Mayor is Kim Young-bae (김영배), who has been mayor since July 1, 2010. Seongbuk ...

, Seoul); he was buried at the Hongneung and Yureung imperial tombs in

Namyangju Namyangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri City, and to the north is Pocheon City. Namyangju-si was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun ...

near Seoul, where his father and brothers are also buried. His official heritor was decided to be his third son, Yi Bang on 30 June 1970.

Family

Prince Yi Gang married Kim Sudeok ( 22 December

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

—

14 January Events Pre-1600 * 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. *1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 *1639 – The "Fundamental Orders", the first written const ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

) in 1892; however, the couple had no children. Therefore, all children Yi Gang had, 12 sons and 9 daughters, were born by 13 of his various concubines.

Wife

Concubines

Sons

Daughters

Ancestry

Honours

on 9 April 1906 *

1st class on 27 April 1906 * Korean Colonization Decoration on 1 August 1912 * Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Kang 1877 births 1955 deaths House of Yi Korean independence activists Kazoku Korean princes Keio University alumni Roanoke College alumni South Korean Roman Catholics Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers Lieutenant generals of Korean Empire Sons of emperors Politicians of the Korean Empire Converts to Roman Catholicism People from Seoul