Yi Won () (born Yi Sang-Hyeob on 23 September 1962) is a great-grandson of

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 one of several who claim to be current head of the

House of Yi 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 descendan ...

. He worked as a general manager of Hyundai Home Shopping, a

Hyundai Department Store Group Hyundai Department Store Group () is a South Korean retail conglomerate that spun off from Hyundai Group in 1999. The company began as Keumgang Development Industries established in 1971. It opened its first store in Ulsan in 1977. The flagshi ...

company, until Prince Yi Ku died on 16 July 2005. He was born as the eldest son of Yi Gap, the 9th son of Prince Yi Kang by one of his partners at Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu,

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

. After the death of Yi Ku, it was decided to make Yi Won to be the adopted heir to the late prince by the

Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association The Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association ( ko, 전주이씨대동종약원) is a family association from South Korea, and it was founded by the Jeonju Yi (Lee) clan, the household of Joseon and the Korean Empire, which were the ruling house of the ...

; Yi Won was later announced to be the director of the association on 27 June 2007. Officially, as noble titles aren't recognized by the

Constitution of South Korea The Constitution of the Republic of Korea () is the supreme law of South Korea. It was promulgated on July 17, 1948, and last revised on October 29, 1987. Background The Provisional Charter of Korea The preamble of the Constitution of South ...

, Yi Won is by birth a citizen in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Biography

Yi Won attended the Sangmun High School during 1979–1981 and completed studies in broadcasting at the

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cyberse ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He and his wife have had two children, the eldest son, Yi Kwon (이권), born in 1998; the other son, Yi Yeong (이영), born in 1999. He currently lives in an apartment in Wondang,

Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a popula ...

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

province,

with his family.

Adoption controversy

Following the death of Yi Ku, who died on 16 July 2005, the

appointed him as the next Head of the Korean Imperial Household and they also made his title the Hereditary Prince Imperial (''Hwangsason'') in the meaning of inherited a title of Yi Ku. According to the chairman of the association, Lee Hwan-ey (이환의, 李桓儀), in his last meeting with Yi Ku was on July 10, Yi Won was allowed to become his heir and Yi Ku signed for granting permission. Another meeting held on July 21, within the association, was to determine whether Yi Won could be the successor of Yi Ku. Eventually, Yi Won's status as Yi Ku's successor was confirmed by the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association as of 22 July 2005. This claim was contested by his half-aunt, Yi Hae-won, who was crowned "Empress of Korea" by some of her relatives. In spite of this, he is annually called on to take the place of the sovereign at the

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 accom ...

ceremonies performing rites to his royal ancestors. Those who dispute the legitimacy of the adoption claim that consent for the adoption of Yi Won was not given by other members of Imperial House, including Yi Seok, the younger half-brother of Prince Gap, and Yi Hae-won, the eldest member of the house before her death in 2020. Also, Yi Ku died before the adoption process could complete; as such, according to present Korean law, a traditional posthumous adoption was no longer recognized by legislation as of 2004.

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

# Yi Han, d. 754? # Yi Jayeon # Yi Cheonsang # Yi Gwanghui # Yi Ipjeon # Yi Geunghyu # Yi Yeomsoon # Yi Seung-sak # Yi Chung-kyung # Yi Kyung-young # Yi Chung-min # Yi Hwa # Yi Jinyu # Yi Gung-jin # Yi Yong-bu # Yi Rin # Yi Yang-mu, d. 1231 # Yi An-sa, d. 1274 # Yi Haeng-ni # Yi Chun, d. 1342 #

Yi Jachun Hwanjo of Joseon (20 January 1315 – 3 June 1361), personal name Yi Ja-chun (Hangul: 이자춘, Hanja: 李子春), Mongolian name Ulus Bukha (吾魯思不花), was a minor military officer of the Yuan Empire, who later transferred his allegia ...

, 1315-1361 #

Taejo of Joseon Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

, 1335-1408 #

Taejong of Joseon Taejong of Joseon (13 June 1367 – 8 June 1422), personal name Yi Bang-won ( Korean: 이방원; Hanja: 李芳遠), was the third ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great. Before ascending to the throne, he ...

, 1367-1422 # Sejong of Joseon, 1397-1450 #

Sejo of Joseon Sejo of Joseon (2 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu ( Korean: 이유; Hanja: 李瑈), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang ( Korean: 수양대군; Hanja: 首陽大君), was the seventh ruler of the Joseon dynasty ...

, 1417-1468 #

Crown Prince Uigyeong Crown Prince Uigyeong (; 3 October 1438 – 20 September 1457), personal name Yi Jang () and formerly called as Prince Dowon () was a Crown prince of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was the oldest son of Sejo of Joseon and Queen Jeonghui, also th ...

, 1438-1457 #

Seongjong of Joseon Seongjong of Joseon (19 August 1457 – 20 January 1495), personal name Yi Hyeol ( Korean: ; Hanja: ), was the ninth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Before succeeding his uncle, King Yejong, he was known as Grand Prince Jalsan ( Korean ...

, 1457-1495 #

Jungjong of Joseon Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok ( Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong ( Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Kore ...

, 1488-1544 # Grand Internal Prince Deokheung, 1530-1559 #

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 ...

, 1552-1608 #

Prince Jeongwon Wonjong of Joseon or Prince Jeongwon (2 August 1580 – 2 February 1619) was a prince during the Joseon dynasty. He was a son by a concubine to the Joseon dynasty's 14th monarch, king Seonjo, and half brother of king Gwanghaegun and father of ...

, 1580-1619 #

Injo of Joseon Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, ...

, 1595-1649 # Grand Prince Inpyeong, 1622-1658 # Prince Boknyeong, 1639-1670 # Yi Hyuk, Prince Uiwon, 1661-1722 # Yi Sook, Prince Anheung, 1693-1768 # Yi Jin-ik, 1728-1796 # Yi Byeong-won, 1752-1822 # Yi Gu, Prince Namyeon, 1788-1836 # Grand Internal Prince Heungseon, 1820-1898 #

, 1852-1919 #

Prince Yi Kang Yi Kang, Prince Imperial Ui (Korean language, Korean: 의친왕 이강, 30 March 1877－15 August 1955), also known as Prince Uihwa, was the second son of Emperor Gojong of Korea and his concubine, Lady Jang, who was a court lady-in-waiting. I ...

, 1877-1955 # Yi Gap, 1938-2014 # Yi Won, b. 1962

References

External links