Yi Seok
Encyclopedia
Yi Seok is a prince of the House of Yi, the Korean royal family. He was described as the "last pretender" to the Korean throne by The New York Times, although this status is not recognized by the Yi family association. Yi gained fame as the "singing prince" with the wedding favorite "Pigeon House", released in 1967. Since 2004, he has been employed by the city of Chonju to promote tourism. He is also a professor of history at Jeonju University
. He is a son of Prince Yi Kang, the fifth son of Emperor Gojong of Korea.
Currently, Yi Seok resides in a building renovated for his use by the city of Jeonju
, 243 kilometers south of Seoul
. The city government hopes that Seok's settlement on the grounds of its Hanok Village will spotlight the historic significance of the city and help it to attract tourists. As part of this arrangement, Seok gives lectures to Jeonju
visitors about Korean history. He also frequently lectures elsewhere and is often called upon for ceremonial duties, despite his official status as a private citizen. Recently, Seok authored a book about the late Joseon Dynasty
royal court family and has founded an organization, which he now leads, "The Imperial Grandson Association", dedicated to preserving the culture of the royal court.
during the Japanese occupation. After WW2
ended with the occupation and partition of Korea by the allies in the South, and the Russians and Chinese in the north, the Korean Imperial family was rendered homeless, what assets that were not confiscated by the Japanese were then confiscated by the incoming Syngman Rhee
government, and forced to temporary accommodation within palaces in Seoul.
The coming of the Korean War
in the summer of 1950 led the cadet elements of the Imperial family to flee by an American landing craft from Incheon
, along the coast down to Busan
, then to live in a hillside monastery in Jeju Island till the war ended in the autumn of 1953 when they returned to Seoul
.
Yi Seok as a young man was required to look after his family as best he could, along with his brothers, and took any jobs that he could to provide for his parents and siblings before and after university during the hard times of the Korean War
and Cold War
era as the Republic of Korea fought communism and internal subversion.
At Hankook University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Yi Seok studied foreign languages, principally Spanish, as well as foreign relations and history, became fluent in several languages, and prepared himself for the diplomatic service. A series of coups, changes in government and civil discord rendered that impossible. Paying his own way through university, Seok again worked at many different jobs to provide for his family, and as he had an aptitude for entertaining, became a well known singer and professional musician in the 1960s while in his twenties, having several hit songs.
and served as an enlisted man in the Vietnam War
as an infantryman in the Capital Division also known as the Tiger Division. The Tiger Division was an all-volunteer division in which all soldiers donated 80% of their pay back to the Republic of Korea to support the post-war economy.
Apart from serving in combat in many engagements as a member of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Tiger Division, Seok was seriously wounded by shrapnel in a convoy that was landmined. Before and after his recuperation for his shoulder injury, he also
found time to entertain the troops during off-hours at their request. Before Seok was wounded he participated in combat operations from Tiger1 to Tiger12 with his regiment. The Division had a distinguished history in combat.
where he took again a series of jobs in the recessionary 1980s to provide for his family and his relatives whilst attempting protracted legal and moral battles to retrieve family properties seized illegally, and now irretrievable under post-war Korean law. In the Los Angeles riots of 1992, many of his personal possessions, archives, and historical photographs were lost in the fires.
With the changed political climate in the early 1990s, Seok was able to return to the Republic of Korea, and once
again attempt to live in old family properties, and battle for his legal rights as a private citizen. After a series of difficult
times, he had a series of spiritual revelations, retired to a monastery, and regained a new public life at the beginning of
the 21st century, with a series of constant travels doing educational work, promoting both Korean Imperial tourism and the
restoration of historical buildings, and a schedule that involves over 100 speaking engagements or public appearances
each year. Currently he lives in Jeonju
, South Korea
.
The hardships and resilience that is typical of Korean life from WW2 to the post Vietnam
era proved interesting and
Yi Seok's life was made into a dramatic semi-fictional TV programme on the Korean Broadcasting System
(KBS).
go back to 1392. His current concerns are in the areas of teaching history on an extensive lecture circuit to schools and colleges
in the Republic of Korea, as well as encouraging more historical tours as a way of preserving essential aspects of Korean tradition
for future generations. He has also lectured on the historical cultural relations between Korea and Japan, and toured Japan with his students to promote such cultural awareness.
In October 2004, Yi Seok returned to the royal city of Jeonju upon the invitation of the mayor, to bring new focus to Jeonju's attempt to regain cultural primacy in Korea.
In February 2005, Yi Seok began teaching twice weekly classes on Korean history at Jeonju University with the title of professor. His classes center on Joseon Dynasty
era figures as well as introducing pre-1900 Korean history to sophomore students.
Throughout 2006, Yi Seok has made unofficial visits to several foreign countries for speaking engagements on traditional Korean culture including a visit to the USA (Los Angeles, and Washington); Mexico City, Mexico; and to Frankfurt, Germany for a Korean trade fair. In September 2006, Yi Seok travelled as a professor with fellow academics and students to Japan, returning to celebrate his birthday on September 26th at home.
pre-production, on Korean royal history.
Entitled "A Personal View of Korea", the documentary series will feature three episodes on Korean history, palaces and
temples, and on the fortress architecture of the over 20 Yi Dynasty castles.
Production is expected to begin in the summer of 2007, and foreign rights sales are presently being negotiated.
Jeonju University
Jeonju University is a private Christian university in South Korea. The campus is located in 1200 Hyoja-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do.- History :Jeonju University was founded on January 9, 1964 as Jeonju Youngsaeng College...
. He is a son of Prince Yi Kang, the fifth son of Emperor Gojong of Korea.
Currently, Yi Seok resides in a building renovated for his use by the city of Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...
, 243 kilometers south of Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. The city government hopes that Seok's settlement on the grounds of its Hanok Village will spotlight the historic significance of the city and help it to attract tourists. As part of this arrangement, Seok gives lectures to Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...
visitors about Korean history. He also frequently lectures elsewhere and is often called upon for ceremonial duties, despite his official status as a private citizen. Recently, Seok authored a book about the late 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...
royal court family and has founded an organization, which he now leads, "The Imperial Grandson Association", dedicated to preserving the culture of the royal court.
Early life
Yi Seok was born and raised in Sadong Palace in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
during the Japanese occupation. After WW2
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended with the occupation and partition of Korea by the allies in the South, and the Russians and Chinese in the north, the Korean Imperial family was rendered homeless, what assets that were not confiscated by the Japanese were then confiscated by the incoming 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...
government, and forced to temporary accommodation within palaces in Seoul.
The coming of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the summer of 1950 led the cadet elements of the Imperial family to flee by an American landing craft from Incheon
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
, along the coast down to Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, then to live in a hillside monastery in Jeju Island till the war ended in the autumn of 1953 when they returned to Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
.
Yi Seok as a young man was required to look after his family as best he could, along with his brothers, and took any jobs that he could to provide for his parents and siblings before and after university during the hard times of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era as the Republic of Korea fought communism and internal subversion.
At Hankook University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Yi Seok studied foreign languages, principally Spanish, as well as foreign relations and history, became fluent in several languages, and prepared himself for the diplomatic service. A series of coups, changes in government and civil discord rendered that impossible. Paying his own way through university, Seok again worked at many different jobs to provide for his family, and as he had an aptitude for entertaining, became a well known singer and professional musician in the 1960s while in his twenties, having several hit songs.
Military service
Yi Seok volunteered for the Korean militaryMilitary of South Korea
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of the Republic of Korea...
and served as an enlisted man in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as an infantryman in the Capital Division also known as the Tiger Division. The Tiger Division was an all-volunteer division in which all soldiers donated 80% of their pay back to the Republic of Korea to support the post-war economy.
Apart from serving in combat in many engagements as a member of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Tiger Division, Seok was seriously wounded by shrapnel in a convoy that was landmined. Before and after his recuperation for his shoulder injury, he also
found time to entertain the troops during off-hours at their request. Before Seok was wounded he participated in combat operations from Tiger1 to Tiger12 with his regiment. The Division had a distinguished history in combat.
The Lost Years
Returning to the Republic of Korea, the Imperial family was again given accommodation at palaces in Seoul, but with the coup following the assassination of President Park Chung Hee in 1979, the Imperial family was ordered out of the palace at gunpoint; and what properties and assets they had were finally totally confiscated. Yi Seok then travelled to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he took again a series of jobs in the recessionary 1980s to provide for his family and his relatives whilst attempting protracted legal and moral battles to retrieve family properties seized illegally, and now irretrievable under post-war Korean law. In the Los Angeles riots of 1992, many of his personal possessions, archives, and historical photographs were lost in the fires.
With the changed political climate in the early 1990s, Seok was able to return to the Republic of Korea, and once
again attempt to live in old family properties, and battle for his legal rights as a private citizen. After a series of difficult
times, he had a series of spiritual revelations, retired to a monastery, and regained a new public life at the beginning of
the 21st century, with a series of constant travels doing educational work, promoting both Korean Imperial tourism and the
restoration of historical buildings, and a schedule that involves over 100 speaking engagements or public appearances
each year. Currently he lives in Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
The hardships and resilience that is typical of Korean life from WW2 to the post Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
era proved interesting and
Yi Seok's life was made into a dramatic semi-fictional TV programme on the Korean Broadcasting System
(KBS).
Current activities
Together with many members of the Korean Imperial family, Seok has worked to maintain Imperial Korean traditions thatgo back to 1392. His current concerns are in the areas of teaching history on an extensive lecture circuit to schools and colleges
in the Republic of Korea, as well as encouraging more historical tours as a way of preserving essential aspects of Korean tradition
for future generations. He has also lectured on the historical cultural relations between Korea and Japan, and toured Japan with his students to promote such cultural awareness.
In October 2004, Yi Seok returned to the royal city of Jeonju upon the invitation of the mayor, to bring new focus to Jeonju's attempt to regain cultural primacy in Korea.
In February 2005, Yi Seok began teaching twice weekly classes on Korean history at Jeonju University with the title of professor. His classes center on 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...
era figures as well as introducing pre-1900 Korean history to sophomore students.
Throughout 2006, Yi Seok has made unofficial visits to several foreign countries for speaking engagements on traditional Korean culture including a visit to the USA (Los Angeles, and Washington); Mexico City, Mexico; and to Frankfurt, Germany for a Korean trade fair. In September 2006, Yi Seok travelled as a professor with fellow academics and students to Japan, returning to celebrate his birthday on September 26th at home.
Publications and media
Yi Seok is also a recently published author on the ceremonial rites of his family. He has agreed to host a TV series, which is currently inpre-production, on Korean royal history.
Entitled "A Personal View of Korea", the documentary series will feature three episodes on Korean history, palaces and
temples, and on the fortress architecture of the over 20 Yi Dynasty castles.
Production is expected to begin in the summer of 2007, and foreign rights sales are presently being negotiated.
Children
- Yi HongYi HongYi Hong is a descendant of the Joseon Dynasty rulers, who works as a model and entertainer. She is the eldest daughter of His Highness Prince Yi Seok of Korea by his wife, Donkgo Jeonghui and a great-granddaughter of Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire...
(이홍 i hong) (born 1974), the eldest daughter of Yi Seok. She married Han Yeong-gwang (한영광 han yeong gwang), an actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of KoreaKoreaKorea ) 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...
, having had issue, one daughter (2001).
- Yi Jin (이진 i jin) (born 1979), the second daughter of Yi Seok who takes an active interest in women's rights, and the promotion of traditional Korean ceramic arts. She is the most well travelled of the young royals and has toured throughout Europe, and has studied in the USA, Australia, under private tutors in Canada, and has done briefly course-work in Japan. She is living in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
- Yi Jung-hun (이정훈 i jeong hun) (born 1980), the only son of Yi Seok who is planning a career in IT. He is living in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
External links
- Seoul's Imperial Temple of Heaven and the Revival of it's Ceremony in June 2002
- "Korean royalty seeks to restore ancestral pride", Washington Times, May 22, 2003.
- "Prince hopes to bring monarchy back to S.Korea", Reuters, Nov 6, 2006.