House of Yi - Known Descendants Today

Known Descendants Today

Yi Chung (born 1936) is the genealogical male-line heir of Emperor Gojong. He is the eldest son of Prince Wu of Korea, who inherited the title of Prince Heung with the 4th head of Unhyun Palace and his wife Princess Chanju, a granddaughter of Marquis Park Yeonghyo, who was a son-in-law of King Cheoljong of Joseon.

At the age of nine, Prince Heung inherited Unhyeon Palace, where Emperor Gojong was born, after his father died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In 1947, his father's elder brother, Prince Gun (Momoyama Ken'ichi), acquired Japanese citizenship. This change of citizenship made Prince Chung the direct heir of his grandfather, Prince Imperial Ui, who died in 1955. On 1991, after the death of his mother, Prince Chung returned his ancestral home of Unhyeon Palace to the Seoul city government.

At present, Prince Chung is de jure genealogical heir to the headship of the Imperial family when male primogeniture is applied. However, he has not taken an active position on the debate between leadership of Imperial family between his two relatives, Hereditary Prince Imperial Won (a first cousin and the son of the 9th son of Prince Ui) and Princess Haewon (aunt of Prince Won and second eldest daughter of Prince Ui). Titularly reigning since the death of her predecessor, Prince Hoeun, on 16 July 2005, Princess Haewŏn was enthroned as symbolic monarch of Korea on 29 September 2006 by the Korean Imperial Family Association, organized by about a dozen descendants of Joseon Dynasty. She lays claim to the title of Empress of Korea and declared the restoration of Imperial House in her own succession ceremony. The private enthronement was not approved or supported by the republican government of South Korea.