In 1897, King Lee Hee-won of North Korea became emperor, and the vassal state "Kingdom of Korea", which had surrendered to China for thousands of years, was instantly upgraded to " Korean Empire ".
The Korean Empire ceased to exist with the " Japan-South Korea Merger Treaty" in 1910, but from a legal point of view, the Korean emperor was not abolished, and the Korean royal family was still there, only with at the end of World War II Although the Americans retained the emperor's system, they imposed very strict restrictions. The emperor could only retain a limited number of princes. As other collateral branches of the Japanese imperial family, all must become civilians, and the last prince of Joseon Li Eun also became civilians.
Compared with other declining royal families, today's Korean royal family is at least prosperous, and it is quite energetic to make trouble in the fight when it is free.
Sunjong, the last monarch of North Korea, Lee Su
Koreans also like to watch court dramas, from the early " Dae Jang Geum" to " The Moon Embracing the Sun", " queen's character " etc., all have a good reputation.
Some people who have watched these palace Korean dramas have taken their heads, specially went to Seoul to see Gyeongbokgung . After going there, they will inevitably be a little disappointed: this hall is low and low. This is because.
Taisho 6 years (1917) Changdeokgung Palace A fire broke out. Japanese people with ulterior motives used wood to repair Changdeokgung Palace to demolish Gyeongbokgung Palace.As many as 4000 rooms have been demolished. It turned out that the Japanese had listened to the idea of some Feng Shui masters and deliberately destroyed the Joseon palace, cut off its "dragon vein", and broke its "wangqi" in order to rule Korea forever.
The Lee dynasty of North Korea was counted from the founding father Lee Sung-gye to 1910 when Japan became the strongest of Korea. In 518 years, it is generally believed that Lee’s kingdom also ended here.
However, contrary to common belief, the Japanese did not abolish the Korean monarchy. Article 3 of the "Japan-Korea Merger Treaty" also stated that the "title, dignity and rights and interests" of the Li family were protected.
"Japan-Korea Merger Treaty"
Article 3
The emperor of Japan shall have a considerable reputation for the emperor of Korea, the emperor, the emperor, and his concubines and descendants. Majesty and reputation, and about ten tenths of annual fee to maintain it.
Although the emperor of North Korea is in name only, the name is still there after all, and today, a hundred years later, the descendants of the Lee clan are still fighting for this name.
In 1907, Ito Hirobumi, who served as the governor of North Korea, sent the crown prince Li Eun of Gaozong Lee Hee to Japan. He was treated as an imperial family. When he became an adult, he married the daughter of the prince's daughter Lihonmiya Fangzi. .
Li Yin and Fangzi Limotomiya
Li Yin, who was educated in Japan since he was a child, really regarded himself as a Japanese, , because he started living in Japan at the age of ten, people around him may have forgotten it a long time ago He was the crown prince of South Korea, and even later Li Eun followed the Japanese invaders at the time and stayed in China for four months. He was only recalled by the Japanese imperial family after a short period of time. Later he was promoted to the position of lieutenant general in Japan.
Until Li Eun died in 1970, the South Korean government held a grand funeral for him.He was also given a posthumous title, , and his Royal Highness Prince Li Yin .
After the death of Li Eun, his son Li Jiu became the leader of the Li family and was also the heir to the throne of Korea in name. However, like his father Li Eun, he had not been emperor for a day.
Li Jiu (Korean: 이구, December 29, 1931-July 16, 2005)
Li Jiu didn’t even want to be a Korean, and graduated from MIT Later he stayed in the United States and married an American woman who worked in Pei Architects.
Li Jiu became an American citizen after his marriage. In the 1960s, he returned to South Korea to run an airline company, but the company went bankrupt due to poor management.
Li Jiu died in 2005. He had no biological children. Before he died, he adopted his cousin Li Yuan as his adopted son, allowing him to inherit the status of the patriarch and heir of the Li clan in the state.
Lee Won (Korean: 이원, September 23, 1962 -) worked for Hyundai Motor Company and now lives in Goyang City (고양시) in Gyeonggi Province (경기도)
This adopted son does not matter. I have an old lady, Li Haiyuan, Li Yuan’s pro-aunt.
Li Haiyuan was the oldest and oldest person in the Li family at the time. He was 86 years old. Gaozong Lixi was her grandfather, while Li Yuan was only 43 years old.
Seeing that his nephew, who is half his own and a generation younger than himself, became the patriarch and heir to the throne, Li Haiyuan was rather uneasy: Why are you not me?
It should be said that there is no possibility of restoration of Li's North Korea, and there is nothing controversial about the succession to the throne, but Li Haiyuan is unbalanced in his heart and must be contended.
Li Haiyuan’s life was not as good as he wanted,Her husband, Lee Seung-kyu, was captured during the Korean War and has not been there. The eldest son drove a taxi in Los Angeles and lived with his second son.
Most of the Li family recognized Li Jiu's arrangement. Li Yuan attended various sacrificial ceremonies in the dress and etiquette of the emperor's heir. The main opponents were Li Haiyuan and her younger brother Li Xi who is a singer.
Seeing that he had no supporters, Li Haiyuan simply crowned herself as the "Queen of the Korean Empire" in September 2006 and announced the restoration of the Lee Dynasty in North Korea.
Lee Hae-yuan lived long enough and didn't die until 020. Anyway, her restoration was to put on a dragon robe and take a few photos. It was not a rebellion, and the Koreans let her make trouble.
The biggest impact of this farce is within the Lee family. Two years before his death, Li Haiyuan used Li Xi to find his crown prince, Andrew Lee, a distant relative who lives in Los Angeles.
Andrew, 36 years old, grew up in the United States and is a programmer and entrepreneur.
Before Li Xi found himself, Andrew never knew he had Korean royal blood. He readily agreed to become the crown prince and participated in the sword passing ceremony.
Lee Seok (second from left) and the Crown Prince Andrew Lee (second from right) whom he sought out
After Lee Haeyun's death, there are two claimants, Lee Won and Andrew, who have no longer existed for the throne of Korea. In ancient times, a bloody battle for the throne was properly set off.
The reason why Li Haeyun was able to carry out a coronation ceremony for herself was also due to her father Li Yu could give birth. Before his death, Li Yu had 13 sons and 9 daughters, which is considered to be among the members of the Joseon Dynasty sect. Very powerful.
Lee Haeyun’s father, Lee Gyu (Korean: 이강, 1877-1955)
For Lee Haeyun’s act of crowning the “Queen of the Korean Empire” and proclaiming the restoration of Lee’s Joseon,The South Korean government basically keeps one eye open.
But interestingly, there was a South Korean poll in 2008 that showed that 54.4% of South Korean respondents supported the restoration of the monarchy. Of course, this monarchy must be symbolic. Those South Koreas that support the restoration of the monarchy The public also gave their own reasons, and they believed that this would help preserve Korean traditional culture.
The Lee family has ruled the Korean peninsula for more than 500 years. It has had a great impact on South Korea’s history and culture. Some people support the restoration of the monarchy in South Korea for the purpose of protecting traditional culture, but the Lee family After all, the family is unlikely to really become the royal family of South Korea again, and the monarchy will not be easily restored in South Korea, even if it is symbolic, it is unlikely.
.
