Gu, Prince Imperial Hoeun
Encyclopedia
Prince Yi Ku was a claimant to the throne of Korea
, contested twenty-ninth head of the Korean Imperial family, and the grandson of Gojong
of the Korean Joseon Dynasty
.
Gu was born in Kitashirakawa Palace (now Akasaka Prince Hotel
), Kioicho, Kojimachiku, Tokyo
, Japan
; his father was Crown Prince Eun of Korea, and his mother was Princess Bangja, born Masako Nashimoto, a Japanese princess. If his claim had been accepted, and Korea were still a monarchy, his title would have been "His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of Korea".
Gu attended the Gakushuin Peers' School
in Tokyo. He later attended Centre College
, Danville
, Kentucky
and studied architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
both in the U.S.
. He was employed as an architect with I.M. Pei & Assocs, Manhattan
, New York
on 1960 to 1964. Made stateless by Japan
in 1947, Gu acquired U.S.
citizenship in 1959, and Korea
n citizenship in 1964. He married Julia Mullock
(b.1928) 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 in Nakseon Hall, Changdeok Palace 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, Mrs. Arita.
In November 1996, he made what he hoped would be his permanent return to Korea but, showing signs of a nervous breakdown
, he was unable to adjust to life in Korea. Restlessly going back and forth between Japan and Korea, he eventually died of a heart attack
at the age of seventy-three, on 16 July 2005 at the Akasaka Prince Hotel
, the former residence of his parents in Tokyo, Japan. His funeral was held on 24 July 2005 and his posthumous title decided as "Prince Imperial Hoeun of Korea" by the Lee Family Council.
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, contested twenty-ninth head of the Korean Imperial family, and the grandson of Gojong
Gojong of Korea
Gojong , the Emperor Gwangmu was the twenty-sixth king of the Korean Joseon Dynasty and the first emperor of the Korean Empire.-King of the Joseon:Gojong took the throne in 1863 when still a child...
of the Korean Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
.
Gu was born in Kitashirakawa Palace (now Akasaka Prince Hotel
Akasaka Prince Hotel
The , formerly the Kitashirakawa Palace, is an upscale hotel in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.It is located across the moat from Akasaka-mitsuke Station, and next to the back of the Hotel New Otani in Kioicho. The newer building designed by Kenzo Tange is 30+ stories tall and laminated in aluminium...
), Kioicho, Kojimachiku, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; his father was Crown Prince Eun of Korea, and his mother was Princess Bangja, born Masako Nashimoto, a Japanese princess. If his claim had been accepted, and Korea were still a monarchy, his title would have been "His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of Korea".
Gu attended the Gakushuin Peers' School
Gakushuin
The or Peers School is an educational institution founded in Tokyo in 1877, during the Meiji period, for the education of the children of the Japanese aristocracy, though it eventually also opened its doors to the offspring of extremely wealthy commoners...
in Tokyo. He later attended Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
, Danville
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and studied architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
both in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was employed as an architect with I.M. Pei & Assocs, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 1960 to 1964. Made stateless by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1947, Gu acquired U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizenship in 1959, and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n citizenship in 1964. He married Julia Mullock
Julia Mullock
Julia Mullock became a disputed member of the Korean Imperial Household with the title Her Imperial Highness Princess Julia Lee of Korea when she became the de-facto wife of Gu, Prince of Korea...
(b.1928) 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
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
, he returned to Korea in 1963 with the help of the new president Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
, moving into the new building in Nakseon Hall, Changdeok Palace with his mother and wife. He lectured on architecture at Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
and Yonsei University
Yonsei University
Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
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, Mrs. Arita.
In November 1996, he made what he hoped would be his permanent return to Korea but, showing signs of a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
, he was unable to adjust to life in Korea. Restlessly going back and forth between Japan and Korea, he eventually died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the age of seventy-three, on 16 July 2005 at the Akasaka Prince Hotel
Akasaka Prince Hotel
The , formerly the Kitashirakawa Palace, is an upscale hotel in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.It is located across the moat from Akasaka-mitsuke Station, and next to the back of the Hotel New Otani in Kioicho. The newer building designed by Kenzo Tange is 30+ stories tall and laminated in aluminium...
, the former residence of his parents in Tokyo, Japan. His funeral was held on 24 July 2005 and his posthumous title decided as "Prince Imperial Hoeun of Korea" by the Lee Family Council.