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Yi Ku (Korean: 이구; December 29, 1931 – July 16, 2005) was a Korean prince who was head of the House of Yi from 1970 until 2005. He was a grandson of Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. Through Kuni Asahiko his maternal great-grandfather, Ku was a second-cousin to Emperor Emeritus Akihito of Japan.
| Yi Ku | |
|---|---|
 Yi as a child | |
| Head of the House of Yi | |
| Period | May 1, 1970 – July 16, 2005 |
| Predecessor | Crown Prince Yi Un |
| Successor | Yi Won or Yi Seok (disputed) |
| Born | December 29, 1931 Kitashirakawa Palace (now former Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka), Kioicho, Kojimachiku, Tokyo, Empire of Japan |
| Died | July 16, 2005 (aged 73) Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka, Kioicho, Kojimachiku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Eugenia Unsuk (adopted) |
| House | Yi |
| Father | Crown Prince Yi Un of Korea |
| Mother | Princess Masako of Nashimoto of Japan |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Occupation | Architect, businessperson |
| Yi Ku | |
| Hangul | 이구 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李玖 |
| Revised Romanization | I Gu |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Ku |
| Imperial title | |
| Hangul | 황세손 |
| Hanja | 皇世孫 |
| Revised Romanization | Hwangseson[note 1] |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hwangseson |
| Posthumous title | |
| Hangul | 회은황세손 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Hoeeun Hwangseson[note 2] |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hoeŭn Hwangseson |
Early life
editKu was born in Kitashirakawa Palace (which is currently the Akasaka Prince Classic House, formerly part of the Akasaka Prince Hotel), Kioicho, Kojimachiku, Tokyo, Japan; his parents were Crown Prince Yi Un of Korea and Yi Bangja. Ku attended the Gakushuin Peers' School in Tokyo. He later attended Centre College, Danville, Kentucky[1] and studied architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology both in the U.S.
Adult life
editHe was employed as an architect with I.M. Pei & Assocs, Manhattan, New York from 1959 to 1964. Made stateless by Japan in 1947, Ku acquired United States citizenship in 1959 and South Korean citizenship in 1964. He married Julia Mullock (1927–2017) on 25 October 1959 at St George's Church in New York and they adopted a daughter, Eugenia Unsuk.
After the fall of Syngman Rhee, he returned to Korea in 1963 with the help of the new president Park Chung Hee, moving into the New Building of Nakseonjae hall, Changdeokgung with his mother and wife. He lectured on architecture at Seoul National University and Yonsei University and also managed his own airline, Shinhan. When that went bankrupt in 1979, he went to Japan to earn money. In 1982, his family forced him to divorce his wife because she was sterile; his mother died in 1989. He started living with a Japanese astrologer, Kinuko Arita. In November 1996, he decided to reside permanently in Korea.
Death
editYi went back and forth between Japan and Korea, and eventually died of a heart attack, at the age of seventy-five, on July 16, 2005, at the Akasaka Prince Hotel, the former residence of his parents in Tokyo, Japan. His funeral was held on July 24, 2005, and his posthumous title decided as "Prince Imperial Hoeun" (Korean: 회은황세손; Hanja: 懷隱皇世孫) by the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association.[2][3] He is buried at the Hoeinwon Royal Tomb near his father and mother.
Yi Ku did not have an heir. According to the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association, Yi Won, Yi Ku's first cousin once removed, was appointed as the heir by him. Yi Ku already considered adopting an heir for the imperial line of succession and Yi Won was considered; after meeting Yi Won several times, he was satisfied about the foreign language abilities of his cousin and allowed Won to be his successor. As of July 10, 2005, less than a week before his death, Yi Ku met the chairman of the association, Lee Hwan-ey (이환의; 李桓儀),[4] for the last time, and Yi Ku formerly signed to adopt Yi Won as his heir.[5][6] Despite that Yi Ku died soon afterwards, the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association held a meeting for the adoption legitimacy in July 21, and in the next day, July 22, 2005, Yi Won was officially recognized by the association to be the successor of late Yi Ku.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Olde Centre 1952 · Centre College Digital Archives". centre.omeka.net. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ 민동용 (July 25, 2005). "故이구씨 24일 영결식…남양주 영친왕 묘역에 안장". Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ 조선 '마지막 황세손' 이구, 한국말 서툴렀던 이유는?. December 6, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ [동정] 이환의 전주이씨 대동종약원 이사장. November 27, 1999. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ Sin, Hyeon-jun (July 21, 2005). 끊어진 조선황실 후계 40대 회사원이 잇는다. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ^ "一位平凡上班族將續朝鮮皇室嫡統". September 23, 2006.
- ^ 황실 후손 생활 담은 다큐 만들고파. The Chosun Ilbo. August 18, 2005. Retrieved June 7, 2020.