Joseon

The Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) (also Choson), sometimes known as the Yi Dynasty, was a dynasty founded by General Yi Seonggye in what is modern day Korea, and lasted for five centuries as one of the world's longest running monarchies. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Dynasty at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, the Korean state was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul and the kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Yalu and Tumen rivers (through the subjugation of the Jurchens). The Joseon Dynasty was the last royal and later imperial dynasty of Korean antiquity, and one of the longest lasting royal dynasties in world history (it was the longest ruling Confucian dynasty). After declaring the Korean Empire in 1897, the dynasty ended with the Japanese annexation in 1910.

An accomplished military strategist and renowned commander who originally distinguished himself by repelling Wokou who were marauding the peninsula, Yi Seonggye, or King Taejo, of the Jeonju clan of Yi, ascended the throne in a coup d'etat against King U of the Goryeo Dynasty, and continued use of the name Goryeo until 1393, when the state was formally renamed the "Kingdom of Great Joseon". The capital was relocated to Hanseong (modern-day Seoul) from Gaegyeong (modern-day Gaeseong) in 1394 and the Gyeongbokgung palace was erected. From King Taejo descended an unbroken patrileneal succession of kings, a line of descent that continues to the modern era. The last ruling monarch was Sunjong, the Yungheui Emperor, who was demoted from his status as head of state in 1910, and surviving bloodlines of the Joseon Dynasty today primarily consist of the descendants of King Yeongchin (Crown Prince Euimin) and King Euichin (Prince Euihwa), Sunjong's younger brothers.

During its reign, the Joseon Dynasty consolidated its absolute rule over Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Confucianist ideals and doctrines in Korean society, massively imported and adopted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when successive invasions by neighboring Toyotomi Japan and Qing China virtually overran the peninsula, leading to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. However, whatever power the kingdom recovered during its isolation further waned as the 18th century came to a close, and faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century. From 1897 to 1910, the Korean state was formally known as the Empire of Korea to signify a sovereign nation no longer part of the centuries-old Chinese tributary system. The Joseon Dynasty came to an end in 1910, when the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was enforced by the Empire of Japan.

The Joseon Dynasty's rule has left a deep impact on the modern face of Korea; much of modern Korean etiquette, cultural norms, societal attitudes towards current issues, and even the modern Korean language and its dialects stem from the traditional thought pattern that originated from this period.

History

Joseon royal throne

Rise to prominence

By the late 14th century, the 400 year-old Goryeo Dynasty established by Wang Geon in 918 was tottering, its foundations collapsing from years of war and de facto occupation from the disintegrating Mongol Empire. The legitimacy of Goryeo itself was also becoming an increasingly disputed issue within the court, as the ruling house failed to not only govern the kingdom effectively, but was also supposedly tarnished by generations of forced intermarriage with the Yuan Dynasty and rivalry amongst the various family branches (even King U's mother was a known commoner, thus leading to rumors disputing his descent from King Gongmin). Within the kingdom, influential aristocrats, generals, and even prime ministers struggled for royal favor and domination of the court, resulting in deep division among various factors. With the ever-increasing number of raids conducted by Wokou and the invasions of the Red Turbans, those who came to dominate the royal court were the reformed-minded Sinjin aristocracy and the opposing Gweonmun aristocracy, as well as generals who could actually fight off the foreign threats; namely a talented general named Yi Seonggye and his rival Choe Yeong.

Following the wake of the Ming Dynasty under the charismatic Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor), the royal court in Goryeo split into two conflicting factions: the group led by General Yi (supporting the Ming Dynasty) and the camp led by General Choi (standing by the Yuan Dynasty). When a Ming messenger came to Goryeo in 1388 (the 14th year of King U) to demand the return of a significant portion of Goryeo’s northern territory, General Choi seized the chance to argue for the invasion of the Liaodong Peninsula (Goryeo claimed to be the successor of the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo; as such, restoring Manchuria as part of Korean territory was part of its foreign policy throughout its history). A staunchly opposed Yi was chosen to lead the invasion; however, at Wuihwa Island on the Yalu River, he revolted and swept back to Gaegyeong (modern-day Gaeseong and the capital of Goryeo), proceeding to eliminate General Choi and his followers and initiating a coup d'état, overthrowing King U in favor of his son, King Chang (1388). He later killed King U and his son after a failed restoration and forcibly placed a royal named Yo on the throne (he became King Gongyang). After indirectly enforcing his grasp on the royal court through the puppet king, Yi then proceeded to ally himself with the Sinjin aristocracy such as Jeong Do-jeon and Jo Jun. One of his first acts as the de facto generalissimo of Goryeo was to pass the Gwajeon Law, which effectively confiscated land from the land-wealthy and generally conservative Gweonmun aristocrats and redistributed it among Yi's supporters in the Sinjin camp. In 1392 (the 4th year of King Gongyang), Yi's fifth son, Yi Bang-weon, after failing to win over a noteworthy aristocrat named Jeong Mong-ju, a supporter of the old dynasty, to swear allegiance to the new reign, had the noble killed by the five assassins including Jo Yeong-gyu at Seonjuk Bridge near Gaegyeong, eliminating a key figure in the opposition to Yi Seonggye's rule. That same year, Yi dethroned King Gongyang, exiled him to Weonju, and ascended the throne. The Goryeo Dynasty had come to an end after 475 years of rule.

Elimination of the Vestiges of Goryeo

In the beginning of his reign, Yi Seonggye, now King Taejo, intended to continue use of the name Goryeo for the state he ruled and simply change the royal line of descent to his own, thus maintaining the facade of continuing the 400 year-old Goryeo tradition. However, after numerous threats of mutiny from the drastically weakened but still influential Gweonmun nobles, who continued to swear allegiance to the remnants of the Goryeo Dynasty, now the demoted Wang clan, and the overall atmosphere in the reformed court that a new dynastic title was needed to signify the change, he declared a new dynasty in 1393 under the name of Joseon (meaning to revive an older dynasty also known as Joseon, founded nearly four thousand years previously) and renamed the country the "Kingdom of Great Joseon", although it came to be simply referred to, even by historians today, by the title of its ruling house.

With the declaration of the new royal house were voiced concerns of what solution to apply to the remaining descedants of the deposed Wang family. King Taejo and his officials especially felt that if the legitimacy of their rule was ever questioned by the remaining members of the Goryeo Dynasty, they might have to suppress a mass rebeliion or even risk the loss of the recently gained throne. In the end, Taejo had his prime minister Jeong Do-jeon summon all of the Wang family members to the coast of the Yellow Sea and instruct them to board a ship bound for Ganghwa Island, where they were to supposedly live quietly out of the sight of the government. However, the entire ploy was a trap, and a pre-instructed crew member onboard smashed a hole in the hull as soon as the ship had entered sufficiently deep waters. The ship sank, and the last of the Goryeo Dynasty were lost by drowning. According to an urban legend, after the fate of the Wang family members gullible enough to board the doomed ship reached their relatives on the mainland, most of them changed their surnames from Wang (王) to Ok (玉) by adding an extra brush stroke and thus hiding their true descent.

After the demise of the last portions of the Goryeo Dynasty came calls for a new capital. Although Gaegyeong had served well as the seat of government for over 400 years, it was already something of a tradition for new dynasties in Korea to move their capitals to a new location considered fortuitous according the Chinese feng-shui philosophy of geomancy. Gaegyeong had also long since considered to have lost its share of energy to maintain any kind of permanent capital. As a result, three sites were officially brought into consideration: the foot of Mt. Gyaeyrong and the cities of Muak and Hanyang. The location near Mt. Gyaeyrong was quickly rejected after some time due to its relatively rough terrain and lack of convenient communication, while the site at Muak was seriously considered before it was decided by King Taejo that Hanyang was the most fitting candidate for the new capital. Hanyang outranked its rivals in various aspects; not only was it was easily accessible from sea and land, and geographically the center of the Korean Peninsula, but the fertile Han River valley on which the ancient city was situated historically had been the most contested region between the Three Kingdoms of Korea. For centuries, Hanyang had also been argued to be blessed, and Korean geomancers claimed the city was occupying a sacrosanct place flowing with geomantic energy. Hanyang was also conformed to Sino-Korean tradition; it had a larger mountains in the north and a smaller mountains in the south for defense, while in between there was a large plain, and thus the city would fit the customary north-south axis. In 1394, Hanyang was declared the new capital and formally renamed "Hanseong". That year, the foot of Mt. Baekak was chosen for the foundation of the main palace. Development and construction of the entire city and its complicated system of avenues, gates, walls, civilian residences, educational facilities, government buildings, and five main palace complexes began in 1394 as well. The official royal residence Gyeongbok Palace was completed in 1395, while the less important Changdeok Palace was completed in 1405. Other royal palaces followed suit, and by the end of the first half of the 15th century all of the capital had been completed and was in working order.

Early strife

King Taejo had two wives, through both of which he had issue. His first wife, Queen Sineui, had predeceased him sometime peviously to the overthrow of Goryeo but had given birth to six sons. Taejo's wife upon ascension to the throne, Queen Sindeok, had two sons as well. When the new dynasty was promulgated and officially brought into existence, Taejo brought up the issue of which son would be his successor. Although Taejo's fifth son by Queen Sineui, Yi Bang-weon, had contributed most to assisting his father's rise to power, he harbored a profound hatred against two of his fathers key allies in the court, the prime minister Jeong Do-jeon and Nam Eun. Both sides were fully aware of the mutual animosity that existed between each other and constantly felt threatened. When it became clear that Yi Bang-weon was the most worthy successor to the throne, Jeong Do-jeon used his influence on the king to convince him that the wisest choice would be in the son that Taejo loved most, not the son that Taejo felt was best for the kingdom. In 1392, the eighth son of King Taejo (and the second son of Queen Sindeok), Grand Prince Euian (Yi Bang-seok) was appointed Prince Royal, Successor. After the sudden death of the queen, and while King Taejo was still in mourning for his second wife, Jeong Do-jeon conspired to preliminately kill Yi Bang-weon and his brothers to secure his position in court. In 1398, upon hearing of this plan, Yi Bang-weon immediately revolted and raided the palace, killing Jeong Do-jeon, his followers, and the two sons of the late Queen Sindeok. This incident became known as the First Strife of Princes.

Aghast at the fact that his sons were willing to kill each other for the crown, and psychologically exhausted from the death of his second wife, King Taejo immediately crowned his second son Yi Bang-gwa, later King Jeongjong, as the new ruler. Soon after, he departed to the northern city of Hamhung.

One of King Jeongjong's first acts as monarch was to revert the capital to Gaeseong, where he is believed to have been considerably more comfortable. Meanwhile, Yi Bang-weon, not in the least discouraged by the fact that his elder brother held the throne, began plotting to be invested as Royal Prince Successor Brother, the traditional title for brothers appointed as heir presumptives to the throne when the incumbent had no issue. However, Yi Bang-weon's plans were opposed by Taejo's fourth son Yi Bang-gan, who too yearned for power. In 1400, the tensions between Yi Bang-weon's faction and Yi Bang-gan's camp escalated into an all-out conflict that came to be known as the Second Strife of Princes. In the aftermath of the struggle, the defeated Yi Bang-gan was exiled to Tosan, while those who urged him to battle against Yi Bang-weon were executed. Thoroughly intimidated, King Jeongjong immediately invested Yi Bang-weon as heir presumptive and voluntarily abdicated. That same year, Yi Bang-weon assumed the throne of Joseon at long last as King Taejong.

In the beginning of Taejong's reign, the Grand King Former, Taejo, refused to relinquish the royal seal that signified the legitimacy of any king's rule. Uncomfortable at the fact that his father did not recognize him as a de jure ruler for the family deaths he caused, Taejong sent several messengers, among them his childhood friend Bak Sun, to recover the royal seal. However, Taejo assassinated every messenger that came into sight of his guards as a sign of his fury at Taejong, who continued to remain unaware of their fates. This episode became known as the Case of the Hamhung Envoys, and the term "Hamhung envoy" is still used to refer to a person who has gone on an assignment from whom their is no reply concerning their whereabouts.

Initial Consolidation of Power

With his father unwilling to pass over the royal seal he needed for recognition, Taejong began to initiate policies he believed would prove his intelligence and right to rule. One of his first acts as king was to abolish the privilege enjoyed by the upper echelons of government and the aristocracy to maintain private armies. His revoking of such rights to field independent forces effectively severed their ability to muster large-scale revolts, and drastically increased the number of men employed in the national military.

Taejong's next act as king was to revise the existing legislation concerning the taxation of land ownership and the recording of state of subjects. Although many aristocrats who benefitted from King Taejo's laws redistributing property from the Gweonmun aristocrats to the members of the Sinjin faction managed to avoid taxation by deliberately hiding land they acquired, King Taejong's re-investigation of land ownership in 1405 put an end to such practices. With the discovery of previously hidden land, national income increased two-fold. In addition, King Taejong initiated the first population survey in 1413 and ordered the documentation of family names/clans, places of birth/death, and the dates of birth/death for all Korean male subjects. All males over the legal age of sixteen, whichever class in society they occupied, were also required by law to carry wooden tablets on which their name, birth date, and other information was engraved. Many historians regard this legislation as the predecessor of the Korean resident indentification and social security system. Taejong's new law regarding the documentation of males was also effective in preventing men from evading the mandatory military draft service.

In 1399 (the 2nd year of King Jeonjong), Taejong had played an influential role in scrapping the Dopyeong Assembly, a council of the old government administration that held a monolpoly in court power during the waning years of the Goryeo Dynasty, in favor of the Euijeong Department, a new branch of central administration that revolved around the king and his edicts. After passing the subject documentation and taxation legislation, King Taejong issued a new decree in which all decisions passed by the Euijeong Department could only come into effect with the approval of the king. This ended the custom of court ministers and advisors in making decisions through debate and negotiations amongst themselves and with the king only as an onlooker, and thus, through the implication of the king in the actual administration of the state, brought royal power to new heights. Shortly afterward, Taejong also installed a branch of the government, known as the Sinmun Office, to receive cases in which aggrieved subjects felt that they had been exploited or unfair actions had been taken against them by government officials or aristocats.

During the course of Taejong's rule, the growing animosity between the Buddhists and Confucian scholars was also a concern, so the new government readily decided to adopt Confucianism as the state ideology. A strict caste system, dominated by the scholarly nobility class known as the yangban, was in place keeping order during this period. Hangul (the Korean alphabet) was created by King Sejong in 1443. Prior to Hangul, all of the Korean literati used the Hanja writing system, which were traditional Chinese characters with Korean pronunciation and meaning, and used a written language known as Hanmun, which was basically Classical Chinese, for official court documents. However, even with the advent of the Korean alphabet, use of Hanja and Hanmun in daily correspondence was not discontinued, with the Korean aristocracy, educated in Classical Chinese for the transcription of the Korean language, assumed condesceding attitudes toward Hangul and any kind of usage of it (as displayed by the number of pejoratives used to refer to it). Hangul was officially re-recognized in the late 19th century, and everyday written use of Hanja and Hanmun eventually came to end slowly in the latter half of the 20th century.

Caste system

During the Joseon Dynasty, a centralized administrative system was installed based on Confucian yangban scholars who acted as the counsellors to the king and made up most of the officer class of the royal army. The entire country was organized with a strict caste system, with the king at the top of the pyramid, the yangban forming the upper class, a small middle class of merchants and government employees known as chungin, and the bulk of the population — peasants, laborers and fishermen — classified as sangmin. Sangmin were heavily taxed (up to 50% of production), subject to military conscription and forced labour, and severely punished if suspected or convicted of crimes.

At the bottom of the pyramid were the cheonmin or low-born, including slaves, who made up an estimated 30% of the population. Slavery was hereditary and offered virtually no avenue of escape. Slave prices were set by the government, itself the owner of 450,000 slaves according to a 1467 count, and slave children could be sold when they reached working age.

Science and culture

The Joseon Dynasty presided over two periods of great cultural growth, during which Joseon culture created the first Korean Tea Ceremony, Korean Gardens, and extensive encyclopedias. The royal dynasty also built several fortresses, trading harbors, and palaces.

Many Korean inventions are from this period, such as the first Asian sundial and the world's first water-powered clock. Also, King Sejong saw the development of the world's first rain gauge, made by court scientist Jang Yeong-sil. [1] During the Joseon period, the metal printing press, invented during the Goryeo dynasty in 1232, supplanted the wood-block printing press in China.

File:Joseon throne hall.jpg

Throne Hall

Trade and commerce

During the Goryeo Dynasty, Korea had a healthy trade relationship with the Arabians, Japanese, Chinese, and Manchurians. An example of prosperous, international trade port is Pyongnam. Koreans offered brocades, jewelries, ginseng, silk, and porcelain, renowned famous worldwide. But, during the Joseon Dynasty, Confucianism was adopted as the national religion, and, in process of eliminating certain Buddhist beliefs, Goryeo Chung Ja porcelains were replaced by white Baek Ja, which lost favour of the Chinese and the Arabians. Additionally, commerce became more restricted during this time in order to promote agriculture. Additionally, constant Chinese request for tribute pushed the Korean policy of ceasing to produce various luxury item elements (i.e. gold, silver), and importing only the necessary amounts from Japan. Because silver was used as currency in China, it played important role in Korea-China trade.

Early Japanese invasions

The Turtle ship, world's first ironclad warship

Throughout Korean history, there were frequent pirates attacks on both the sea and land. The only purpose for the Koreans of the running a navy was to secure the maritime trade against the pirates. The Korean navy maintained superiority over the pirates by using an advanced form of gunpowder technologies (i.e. cannons, fire arrows in form of Singijeon deployed by Hwacha, etc.) from China.

During Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea, Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with the ambition of conquer China with the Portuguese guns, invaded Korea with daimyo and their troops in 1592 and 1597. Factional division in the Joseon court, the inability to assess Japanese military capability, and the failed attempts at diplomacy led to poor preparation on the Joseon's part. The use of European firearms by the Japanese left most of the southern peninsula occupied within months, with both Pyongyang and Hangseung (present-day Seoul) captured.

Local resistance, however, slowed down the Japanese advance and decisive naval victories by Admiral Yi Sun-shin left control over sea routes in Korean hands, severely hampering Japanese supply lines. Furthermore, Ming China intervened on the side of the Koreans, sending a large force in 1593 which pushed back the Japanese together with the Koreans. During the war, Koreans developed powerful firearms and high-quality gunpowder and the Turtle ships, the first cannon-bearing ironclad warships in world history. Joseon and Ming, defeated the Japanese, who retreated back to their homeland, but victory came at a deep price. Farmlands were devastated, irrigation dikes were destroyed, villages and towns were burned down; the population was first plundered and then dispersed, and tens of thousands of skilled workers (celadon ware makers, craftsmen, artisans, etc) were either killed during the war or kidnapped to Japan as captives to help Japanese develop their crafts. The Japanese also pilfered many thousands of Joseon historical and royal artifacts, many of which are preserved in Japanese museums. In 1598 alone, the Japanese took some 38,000 ears as horrific trophies. The long war reduced the productive capacity of farmlands from 1,708,000 kyol to 541,000 kyol. Following the war, relations between Korea and Japan had been completely suspended. Japan was cut off from the technology of continental Asia. After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, however, negotiations between the Korean court and the Tokugawa shogunate were carried out via the Japanese lord on Tsushima. In 1604, Tokugawa Ieyasu, needing to restore commercial relations with Korea in order to have access to the technology of the mainland again, met Korea's demands and released some 3000 captive Koreans. As a result, in 1607, a Korean mission visited Edo, and diplomatic and trade relations were restored on a limited basis.

Buddhist temple Buryeongsa

Subsequent history

Following these events the Korean Kingdom became increasingly isolationist. Its rulers sought to limit contact with foreign countries. In addition, the Ming Dynasty was weakened, partly because of the war in Korea against Japan, which led to the establishment of the new Qing Dynasty. The Koreans decided to build tighter borders, exert more controls over inter-border traffic, and wait out the initial turbulence of the Manchu overthrow of the Ming.

Despite these limits, Korea had extensive trade with Mongolia, Northern Asia, China, and Japan. However, at times trade with Japan was limited to missions appointed by the king in order to prevent piracy and conduct orderly trade, which had been a problem even in the Goryeo Period.

Korea suffered from two invasions by the Manchus, in 1627 (see the First Manchu invasion of Korea) and 1637 (see the Second Manchu invasion of Korea). Korea surrendered to the Manchus and agreed to pay tribute to the new Qing dynasty emperors as a Qing dynasty's protectorate, which at this time involved two way trade missions with China. The Qing rulers adopted a foreign policy to avoid the creation of foreign trading enclaves on Chinese soil. This policy limited the presence of the traditional entrepot of the foreign hongs to Macau. These entrepot handled the significant trade of Chinese silks for foreign silver. This arrangement relegated foreign trade to the southern provinces of China, leaving the more unstable northern region under careful regulation and limiting the influence of foreigners. This decision affected Korea since China was Korea's main trading partner.

Foreign trade restrictions except China helped strengthen Korea: the wealth of Korean natural resources, sophisticated technology, ceramics innovations and the key medicinal trade in ginseng was fostered by trading with the most technologically advanced nation at that time which was China. At this time a relatively sophisticated economy developed and the first western visitor, Hendrick Hamel, a Dutchman, arrived.

Decline and collapse

In the 19th century tensions mounted between Qing China and Japan, culminating in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). Much of this war was fought on the Korean peninsula. Japan, after the Meiji Restoration, acquired Western military technology, had forced Joseon to sign the Treaty of Ganghwa in 1876. Japan encroached upon Korean territory in search of fish, iron ore, and natural resources. It also established a strong economic presence in the peninsula, heralding the beginning of Japanese imperial expansion in East Asia.

The Chinese defeat in the 1894 war led to the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which officially guaranteed Korea's independence from China. The Joseon court in 1894, pressured by encroachment from larger powers, felt the need to reinforce national integrity and declared the Korean Empire. King Gojong assumed the title of Emperor in order to assert Korea's independence. In addition, other foreign powers were sought for military technology, especially Russia, to fend off the Japanese. Technically, 1894 marks the end of the Joseon period, as the official name of the state was changed; however the Joseon Dynasty would still reign, albeit perturbed by Japanese interventions such as in 1895, when the Japanese murdered Empress Myeongseong of Korea. The murder was apparently orchestrated by Miura Goro because the Korean Empress was effective in keeping Japan at bay. In 1910 Japan annexed the Korean peninsula which effectively ended the Joseon Dynasty rule.

The collapse of Russia's navy in the historic Battle of Port Arthur (in which Russia's imperial navy was destroyed in a decisive surprise attack), led to a great weakening of Korea's umbrella of protection.

The combined effect on China of the opium wars to the south and Japanese naval strikes in the north increasingly led the Japanese to see Korea as a strategic foothold into north China, just as Macau and Hong Kong were Portuguese and English trade enclaves into south China.

Japanese occupation

In a complicated series of manoeuvres and counter-manoeuvres, Japan pushed back the Russian fleet at the Battle of Port Arthur in 1905. Both the fleets of China and Russia had given Korea sufficient protection to prevent a direct invasion, but this ambuscade of the Russian fleet gave Japan free reign over north China, and Korea was left at the mercy of the new regional naval power: Japan.

With the conclusion of the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War with the Treaty of Portsmouth, the way was open for Japan to take control of Korea. After the signing of the Protectorate Treaty in 1905, Korea became a protectorate of Japan. Itō Hirobumi was the first Resident-General of Korea, although he was assassinated in 1909 at the train station at Harbin.

Japan annexed Korea in 1910.

The family today

Main article: Korean Imperial Household

After the Invasion and de facto annexation of Korea by Japanese in 1910, the Princes and Princesses of the Imperial Family were forced to leave for Japan to be re-educated and married.

This photo, taken about 1915 at Changdok Palace, shows the following royal family members, from left: Prince Uichin, the sixth son of Kojong; King Sunjong, the second son and the last monarch of Choson; Prince Yongchin, the seventh son; then former King Kojong; Queen Yundaebi, wife of Sunjong; Tokindang Kimbi, wife of Uichin; and Yi Kon, the eldest son of Uichin. The seated child in the front row is Princess Tokhye, Kojong's last child.)

The Heir to the Throne, Imperial Crown Prince Uimin, married Princess Yi Bang-ja nee Nashimoto, and had two sons, Princes Yi Jin and Yi Gu. His elder brother, Imperial Prince Ui had twelve sons and nine daughters from various wives and concubines.

The Crown Prince lost his status in Japan at the end of World War II and returned to Korea in 1963 after an invitation by the Republican Government. He suffered a stroke as his plane landed in Seoul and was rushed to a hospital. He never recovered and died in 1970. His brother, Imperial Prince Ui died in 1955 and the Korean people officially considered this to be the end of the Royal line.

Presently His Highness Prince Yi Seok is one of two pretenders to the throne of Korea. He is a son of Prince Gang of Korea, a fifth son of Gojong of Korea and currently a professor of history lecturing at Jeonju University in the Republic of Korea.

Furthermore, many descendants live throughout the United States and Brazil, having settled elsewhere, outside of Korea.

The Imperial Family

• Emperor Gojong (1852-1919) - 26th head of the Korean Imperial Household
  • Emperor Sunjong (1874-1926) - 27th head of the Korean Imperial Household
  • Prince Gang (1877-1955)
    • Prince Gun (1909-1991)
    • Prince Wu (1912-1945)
      • Yi Chung (1936-)
    • Prince Gap (1938-)
      • Hereditary Prince Imperial Won (1962-) - 30th head of the Korean Imperial Household
        • 1st son (1998-)
        • 2nd son (1999-)
      • Yi Jeong
    • Haewon, Princess of Korea (1919-) - 30th head of the Korean Imperial Household
    • Prince Seok (1941-)
      • Yi Hong (1976-)
      • Yi Jin (1979-)
      • Yi Jeonghun (1980-)
  • Crown Prince Euimin (1897-1970) - 28th head of the Korean Imperial Household
    • Prince Jin (1921-1922)
    • Hereditary Prince Hoeun (1931-2005) - 29th head of the Korean Imperial Household
  • Princess Deokhye (1912-1989)
    • Jeonghye

Titles and styles

During the Empire

• Hwangje (皇帝 황제), the Emperor, with the style of His Imperial Majesty (陛下 폐하 pye ha)
• Hwang-hu (皇后 황후), the Empress (consort), with the style of Her Imperial Majesty
• Hwangtaehu (皇太后 황태후), the Empress Dowager
• Tae-hwangtaehu (太皇太后 태황태후), the Empress Dowager, current Emperor's alive grandmother
• Hwangtaeja (皇太子 황태자), the Crown Prince of Empire, the eldest son of Emperor, with the style of His Imperial Highness (殿下 전하 jeon ha)
• Hwangtaeja-bi (皇太子妃 황태자비), the Crown Princess (consort) of Empire, with the style of Her Imperial Highness
• Chinwang (親王 친왕), the Prince (Imperial), son of Emperor, with the style of His Imperial Highness
• Chinwang-bi (親王妃 친왕비), the Princess (Imperial) (consort), with the style of Her Imperial Highness
• Gongju (公主 공주), the Princess of Empire, the legitimate daughter of Emperor, with the style of Her Imperial Highness
• Ongju (翁主 옹주), the Princess of Empire, the illegitimate daughter of Emperor, with the style of Her Imperial Highness

During the Kingdom

• King (王 왕 wang), the King, with the style of His Majesty (殿下 전하 jeon-ha) or, not as correct but yet still quite commonly, His Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma). Before the style of "jeon ha" were used a variety of titles for the king. For references to late monarchs the title was Great Predecessor King (先大王 선대왕 seondae-wang) or Great King (大王 대왕 dae-wang); for foreign envoys the title used was State King (國王 국왕 guk-wang); and for those in the court who needed to mention the king outside his presence, and thus more formality was required in addressing the monarch, the title was Current King (今上 금상 geum-sang),Sovereign (主上 주상 ju-sang or 上監 상감 sang-gam), or Grand Palace (大殿 대전 dae-jeon). The style remained the same for all titles with the exception of queen dowagers and the relatively few kings who abdicated, who simply addressed or mentioned the king without using his style.
• Queen Consort (王妃 왕비 wang-bi), the Queen Consort, with the style of Her Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma). The title used in the court language was Center Palace (中宮殿 중궁전 junggung-jeon or 中殿 중전 jung-jeon). Queen consorts that remained married to the king until their death were generally given a a title consisting of two Hanja in the front and the customary suffix Queen (王后 왕후 wang-hu) in the back.
• King Former (上王 상왕 sang-wang), a king who has voultarily abdicated for his son to take his place. They usually remained influential or even powerful through the remaining years of their lives. The style of His Majesty (殿下 전하 jeon-ha) or, less frequently but yet still quite commonly, His Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma) was used.
• Queen Dowager (大妃 대비 dae-bi), the current incumbent of the throne's mother, with the style of Her Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma). Queen dowagers often exercised a great deal of influence on the king's influence through their regencies, which took place when the king was too young to rule in his own name, or simply through their role as the mother or even a senior female relative of the monarch.
• Grand King Former (太上王 태상왕 taesang-wang), an abdicated king whose relinquishment of power precedes that of another former king. The style of His Majesty (殿下 전하 jeon-ha) or, less frequently but yet still quite commonly, His Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma) was used.
• Royal Queen Dowager (王大妃 왕대비 wangdae-bi), a former consort preceding the least senior queen dowager or current King's aunt, with the style of Her Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma).
• Grand Royal Queen Dowager (大王大妃 대왕대비 daewangdae-bi), a former consort senior to two other queend dowagers or the current King's grandmother, with the style of Her Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma).
• Grand Internal Prince (大阮君 대원군 daewon-gun), the father of a king who was unable to take the throne himself as he was not part of the generation following that of the last incumbent of the throne (kings who are honored at the royal Jongmyo Shrine must be senior generation-wise for the current incumbent to pay homage there). There have been cases when grand chief princes acted as regents for their sons, the last person to do so having been the Regent Heungseon.
• Grand Internal Princess Consort (府大夫人 부대부인 budae-buin), the mother of a king whose father himself never reigned.
• Internal Prince (府院君 부원군 buweon-gun), the queen consort's father.
• Internal Princess Consort (府夫人 부부인 bu-buin), the queen consort's mother.
• Prince (君 군 gun), a son born to the match between the king and a concubine or a descendant of a grand prince. The style used is His Young Highness (아시시 agisi) before marriage and the style His Excellency (大監 대감 dae-gam) afterward.
• Princess Consort (郡夫人 군부인 gunbu-in), the consort of a prince.
• Grand Prince (大君 대군 dae-gun), a prince born to the official match between the king and queen with the style of His Young Highness (아시시 agisi) before marriage and the style His Excellency (大監 대감 dae-gam) afterward. The title of a grand prince is not inherited and his sons are generally referred to as mere princes.
• Grand Princess Consort (府夫人 부부인 bubu-in), the consort of a grand prince.
• Prince Royal (元子 원자 weon-ja), the firstborn son of the king before being formally invested as heir apparent, with the style of His Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma). Generally, Prince Royals were the son who was born first between the king and his official wife, but there were exceptions when the title of Prince Royal was given to the firstborn son of the king through a concubine, the most notable case having occurred in the reign of King Sukjong.
• Royal Prince Successor (王世子 왕세자 wangsae-ja) the heir apparent to the throne, with the eldest son of the king given precedence over his brothers given that there were no major problems with his conduct, with the simplified title Prince Successor (世子 세자 sae-ja) being frequently used instead of the full name with the style of His Royal Highness (邸下 저하 jeo-ha). In less formal but still official court languange, the title Eastern Palace (東宮 동궁 dong-gung) or Spring Palace (春宮 춘궁 chun-gung) and the style His Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma) was used intermittently with "Prince Successor," although the style was frequently dropped by more senior members of the royal family.
• Royal Princess Successor Consort (王世子嬪 왕세자빈 wangsaeja-bin), the consort of the heir apparent, or simply Princess Successor Consort (世子嬪 세자빈 saeja-bin), with the style of Her Royal Consort Highness (마노라 manora or 마누라 manura). Later, as the distinction between "Her Royal Highness" and "Her Royal Consort Highness" became unclear due to the influence of the Andong Kim clan, the style Her Royal Highness (媽媽 마마 ma-ma) also came to apply to the consort of the heir apparent. The style ~ Royal Highness also came to apply to grand princes, princes, and princess as well for the same reason.
• Princess (公主 공주 gong-ju), the daughter of the official match between the king and his official wife, with the style of Her Young Highness (아시시 agisi) before marriage and Her Excellency (자가 ja-ga) afterward.
• Princess (翁主 옹주 ong-ju), the daughter of the king and one of his concubines, with the style of Her Young Highness (아시시 agisi) before marriage and Her Excellency (자가 ja-ga) afterward.
• Royal Prince Successor Brother (王世弟 왕세제 wangsae-je), the younger brother of the king who has been formally invested as heir presumptive as the king has no offspring.
• Royal Prince Successor Descendant (王世孫 왕세손 wangsae-son), the son of the Prince Successor and the Princess Successor Consort, and the grandson of the king, with the style of His Highness (閤下 합하 hap-ha).

References

The Joseon Dynasty recorded its history in the Annals of Joseon Dynasty.

There is presently no official historian of the Korean royal family, and the Imperial records have ceased to be recorded since the Japanese invasion. Occasional references to the Korean Royal Family and its present charities and activities in the arts or in cultural preservation are found on websites on world royalty.

• A Cultural History of Modern Korea, Wannae Joe, ed. with intro. by Hongkyu A. Choe, Elizabeth NY, and Seoul Korea: Hollym, 2000.
• An Introduction to Korean Culture, ed. Koo & Nahm, Elizabeth NJ, and Seoul Korea: Hollym, 1998. 2nd edition.
• Noon Eu Ro Bo Neun Han Gook Yuk Sa #7 by Jang Pyung Soon. Copyright 1998 Joong Ang Gyo Yook Yun Goo Won, Ltd. Pg. 46-47.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Battle of Busan (1592)
• Yeongeunmun Gate
• Independence Gate
• Samjeondo Monument

External links

• Korean royal family website - currently available only in Korean.
• Choson dynasty
• "Japanese Document Sheds New Light on Korean Queen's Murder" - Ohmynews.com's uncovered document about murder of Queen Minbi
• "E-Annals Bring Chosun History to Everyman", The Chosun Ilbo, January 27, 2006.