Yi Won
Korean pretender to the throne (born 1962)
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Yi Won (Korean: 이원; born Yi Sang-Hyeob;[citation needed] 23 September 1962) is one of the great-grandsons of Gojong of Korea and one of several who claim to be current head of the House of Yi[1] but not accepted by the imperial family of Korea.
Hyehwa-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Yi Won
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Yi in 2026 | |||||
| Head of the House of Yi (disputed) | |||||
| Period | 16 July 2005 – present | ||||
| Predecessor | Yi Ku | ||||
| Born | 23 September 1962 Hyehwa-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea | ||||
| Spouse | Cho Tŭng-hak | ||||
| Issue | Yi Kwon Yi Yeong | ||||
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| Father | Yi Gap | ||||
| Mother | Yi Gyeong-suk | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
Biography
Yi Won was born as the eldest son of Yi Gap, the 9th son of Prince Yi Kang by one of his partners at Hyehwa-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. He attended the Sangmun High School during 1979–1981 and completed studies in broadcasting at the New York Institute of Technology, United States. He and his wife have had two children, the eldest son, Yi Kwon, born in 1998; the other son, Yi Yeong , born in 1999.[citation needed]
He worked as a general manager of Hyundai Home Shopping, a Hyundai Department Store Group company, until Prince Yi Ku died on 16 July 2005. After the death of Yi Ku, the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association appointed him as the Imperial Ritual Master(Hwangsason) of the association. Officially, as noble titles aren't recognized by the Constitution of South Korea, Yi Won is by birth a citizen in South Korea.
He currently lives in an apartment in Wondang, Goyang, South Korea with his family.[citation needed]
Adoption controversy
Following the death of Yi Ku on 16 July 2005, the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association asked Yi Jun, the eldest great-grandsons of Emperor Gojong, but Yi Jun declined the request as he stated that it is not approporiate for the heir of Prince Imperial Ui[2] to succeed the lineage of Prince Imperial Yeong,[3] the younger brother of his grandfather[4] So Yi Jun's younger cousin brother, Yi Won was appointed as the Imperial Ritual Master(Hwangsason) of the association.
This claim was contested by his half-uncle, Yi Seok and a half-aunt, Yi Hae-won, who was crowned "Empress of Korea" by some of her relatives. In spite of this, he is annually called on to take the place of the sovereign at the Jongmyo jerye ceremonies performing rites to his royal ancestors.[citation needed]
Those who dispute the legitimacy of the adoption claim that consent for the adoption of Yi Won was not given by other members of Imperial House, including Yi Seok[5], the younger half-brother of Prince Gap[6], and Yi Hae-won[7], the eldest member of the house until her death in 2020. Also, Yi Ku died before the adoption process could complete; as such, according to present Korean law, a traditional posthumous adoption was no longer recognized by legislation as of 2004.[8]
Ancestry
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Patrilineal descent
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