Deokhye, Princess of Korea
| Princess Deokhye | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
25 May 1912 Changdeok Palace, Keijo, Japanese Korea (now Seoul, South Korea) |
| Died | 21 April 1989 (aged 76) Sugang Hall, Changdeok Palace, Seoul, South Korea |
| Burial | Hongryureung, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea |
| Spouse | Count Sō Takeyuki (m. 1930; div. 1953) |
| Issue | Countess Sō Masae |
| Father | Gojong of Korea |
| Mother | Lady Boknyeong (Yang Gui-in) |
| Princess Deokhye | |
| Hangul | 덕혜옹주 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 德惠翁主 |
| Revised Romanization | Deokhye Ongju |
Princess Deokhye of Korea (25 May 1912 – 21 April 1989) was the last princess of the Korean Empire.
She was born on 25 May 1912 at Changdeok Palace in Seoul. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Gojong and his concubine, then known as Yang Gui-in. Then, Emperor Gojong bestowed a loyal title, Boknyeong, to Yang when she gave birth to Princess Deokhye. Princess Deokhye was not formally recognized as a princess by Japan until 1917, because she was not a daughter of the queen. In 1917, her name was formally entered into the Imperial Family's registry. Her father, Emperor Gojong, loved her greatly and established the Deoksu Palace(덕수궁) Kindergarten for her in Junmyungdang(준명당), Hamnyeong hall. Girls her age from noble families attended the kindergarten. Princess Deokhye is called Deokhye Ongju in Korea, not Gongju. Gongju refers to the daughters of the queen, and Ongju refers to the daughters of the concubine.
She was born on 25 May 1912, a daughter of Yang Gui-in (later Lady Boknyeong) and Emperor Gojong when he was 60 years old. Upon having no given name, she was ignored and was treated like she did not exist. She was then nicknamed "BoknyeongDang". In 1917, Emperor Gojong persuaded Terauchi Masatake, the then-ruling Governor General of Korea to enter her name into the registry of the imperial family, offering her legitimacy and granting her the title of princess. In 1919, Emperor Gojong planned the secret engagement between Princess Deokhye and Kim Jang-han, a nephew of Kim Hwangjin, a court chamberlain. Emperor Gojong had sought to protect his daughter from Japan through this engagement, but the engagement failed due to Japan's intervention. After the failed engagement, Kim Hwangjin was not permitted to enter Deoksu Palace and Emperor Gojong died suddenly on 21 January 1919. In 1921, Princess Deokhye went to Hinodae elementary school in Seoul.
In 1925, she was taken to Japan under the pretense of continuing her studies. Like her brothers, she attended the Gakushuin. She was described as silent, isolated and weak. Upon the news of her mother's death in 1929, she was finally given permission to visit Korea temporarily to attend her mother's funeral in 1930. However, she was not allowed to attend her mother's funeral with proper clothes. In the Spring of 1930, upon the onset of mental illness (manifested by sleepwalking), she moved to King Lee's Palace, her brother Crown Prince Eun's house in Tokyo. During this period, she often forgot to eat and drink. Her physician diagnosed her illness as precocious dementia, but by the following year, her condition seemed to have improved. This may be attributed to her upbringing.
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