Yi Seok
| Yi Seok | |
|---|---|
| Born |
3 August 1941 Sadong Palace, Seoul |
| Spouse | A Lady Donkgo Jeonghui Ch’ung-hee |
| Issue |
Yi Hong Yi Jin Yi Jung-hun |
| House | House of Yi |
| Father | Yi Kang |
| Mother | Lady Hong Chŏng-sun |
| Yi Seok | |
| Hangul | 이석 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李錫 |
| Revised Romanization | I Seok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yi Sǒk |
Yi Seok (born 3 August 1941) 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, and his thirteenth wife, Lady Hong Chŏng-sun, a former telephone operator.
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.
Yi Seok was born and raised in Sadong Palace in Seoul 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.
...
Wikipedia