Yi Hae-won

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox royalty Template:Infobox Korean name/auto Yi Hae-won (Korean: ; Hanja: Template:Category handler; 24 April 1919 – 8 February 2020), also Lee Hae-won, was a member of the House of Yi, the royal family of Joseon and the Korean Empire. Yi was considered a pretender to the throne until her death at the age of 100 in her house in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province.

Birth and marriage

Yi Haewon was born in Sadong Palace, which was an official residence of her family in Keijō, as the second daughter of Prince Imperial Ui, fifth son of Emperor Gojong of Korea, and one of his concubines, Lady Yi of Sudeok Hall. She was raised in Unhyeon Palace. After she graduated from Kyunggi Girls' High School in 1937, she married Yi Seunggyu, who was kidnapped and compulsorily taken to North Korea during the Korean War. They had three sons and one daughter.

Coronation

Following the death of her cousin Yi Ku on 16 July 2005, members of the imperial family chose his adopted son, Yi Won, as the next Head of the House of Yi, bestowing on him the title, the Hereditary Prince Imperial of Korea (Hwangsason), representative of an inherited title from Yi Ku. Contesting her nephew's claim and appointment to the throne, Yi Haewŏn announced the restoration of the Empire. A private coronation ceremony was held on 29 September 2006, during which Yi Haewŏn was bestowed the title, the "Empress of Korea". According to one of her half-brothers, Yi Seok, another pretender, other close royal members didn't approve such a ceremony; Yi Seok himself was also invited, but did not attend, for he did not know who the members of the "Imperial Family Association of Daehanjeguk" were.

Family

Yi Hae-won's husband, Yi Seung-gyu, descended from the Yongin Yi clan (; Template:Category handler), according to the Genealogy book of the clan published in 1983.

• Father: Yi Kang, Prince Imperial Ui (Template:Category handler) (30 March 1877 – 16 August 1955)
  • Grandfather: Emperor Gojong (Template:Category handler) (8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919)
  • Grandmother: Imperial Consort Gwi-in of the Deoksu Jang clan (; Template:Category handler)
• Mother:
  • Biological: Lady Yi Hui-chun of Sudeok Hall (Template:Category handler); Yi Kang's 5th concubine
  • Adoptive: Kim Su-deok, Princess Consort Imperial Ui (Template:Category handler)
    • Younger half-brother: Yi Seok (이석, 李錫; born 3 August 1941)
• Husband: Yi Seung-gyu (이승규, 李昇圭; born 4 September 1917)
  • Father-in-law: Yi Wan-yeong (; Template:Category handler) (1895 – 1943), the only son of Yi Ju-sang (; Template:Category handler).
  • Mother-in-law: Lady Yi Hui-gyeong of the Hansan Yi clan (이희경, 李喜慶; born 1895), the daughter of Yi Deok-gyu (; Template:Category handler).
• Children:

1. Son: Yi Jin-hyu (이진휴, 李鎭烋; born 24 January 1941) – married Lady Yi Ae-seon (; Template:Category handler).
2. Son: Yi Jin-wang (이진왕, 李鎭旺; 14 November 1945 – December 2019) – married Lady Park Jong-mi (; Template:Category handler).
3. Daughter: Yi Jin-ju (; Template:Category handler) (11 September 1947 – 1994) – died unmarried.
4. Son: Yi Jin-hong (이진홍, 李鎭弘; born 24 July 1949)

See also

• House of Yi
• Joseon dynasty

External links

• Coronation of Korea's new empress leads to royal family controversy