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Sunjong of Korea

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Not to be confused with Sunjong of Goryeo.

Sunjong of Korea
대한제국 순종
大韓帝國純宗
Sunjong
Emperor of Korea
Reign19 July 1907 – 29 August 1910
PredecessorGojong of Korea
SuccessorPosition abolished, Korea annexed by Japan
Born(1874-03-25)25 March 1874
Changdeok Palace, Hanseong, Joseon
Died24 April 1926(1926-04-24) (aged 52)
Changdeok Palace, Keijō, Keiki-dō, Chōsen, Empire of Japan
Burial
Yureung
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1882⁠–⁠1904)​
​
​
(m. 1907⁠–⁠1926)​
Era dates
Yunghui (융희, 隆熙; 1907–1910)
Posthumous name
Emperor Munon Muryeong Donin Seonggyeong
(문온무령돈인성경효황제, 文溫武寧敦仁誠敬孝皇帝)
Temple name
Sunjong (순종, 純宗)
HouseHouse of Yi
FatherGojong of Korea
MotherEmpress Myeongseong
ReligionConfucianism
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSunjong Yunghuije
McCune–ReischauerSunjong Yunghije
Art name
Hangul
정헌
Hanja
正軒
Revised RomanizationJeongheon
McCune–ReischauerChŏnghŏn
Birth name
Hangul
이척
Hanja
李坧
Revised RomanizationI Cheok
McCune–ReischauerYi Ch'ŏk
Courtesy name
Hangul
군방
Hanja
君邦
Revised RomanizationGunbang
McCune–ReischauerKunbang

Sunjong (Korean: 순종; 25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926),[1][2] styled the Yunghui Emperor, was the last monarch of Korea. He ruled from 1907 to 1910 as the second and last Emperor of Korea. A member of the Yi dynasty, Sunjong was elevated to the throne after his predecessor and father, Gojong, was forced to abdicate by the Empire of Japan. Hence, Sunjong has been characterized by historians as being a powerless puppet ruler of the Japanese, reigning just over three years until Korea was officially annexed in 1910.

Biography

Crown Prince of Korea

Sunjong was the second son of Emperor Gojong and Empress Myeongseong. When he turned two years old in 1876, Sunjong was proclaimed the Crown Prince of Joseon. In 1882, he married a woman of the Yeoheung Min clan (later Empress Sunmyeonghyo). She died at the age of 31 on 5 November 1904 due to a severe depression, after trying to protect her mother-in-law (Empress Myeongseong, also a member of the Yeoheung Min clan) from her assassination on 8 October 1895 by the Japanese military;

When his father proclaimed Korea as an Empire in 1897, Sunjong was appointed as the Crown Prince of Imperial Korea on 12 October 1897.[3] On 29 June 1898, he was appointed as the Field Marshal of the Imperial Korean Army.[4] Sunjong remarried again 3 years later to the daughter of Yoon Taek-young, Yun Jeung-sun of the Haepyeong Yun clan, who was 20 years younger than him, on 11 December 1906,[5] and she became Crown Princess Consort Yun (later Empress Sunjeong).

Emperor of Korea

On 19 July 1907, Gojong was deposed as a result of Japanese coercion, and Sunjong was made the Emperor of Korea. His coronation was proceeded in Don-doek-jeon.[6] He was proclaimed heir to the throne of Prince Imperial Yeong, the younger half-brother of Sunjong, and moved from Deoksugung Palace to the imperial residence at Changdeokgung Palace.[7]

Sunjong's reign was limited by the gradually increasing armed intervention of the Japanese government in Korea. In July 1907, he was proclaimed emperor of Korea but was immediately forced to enter into the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907. This treaty allowed the Japanese government to supervise and intervene in the administration and governance of Korea, which also allowed for the appointment of Japanese ministers within the government.[8]

While under Japanese supervision, the Korean army was dismissed on the pretext of a lack of public finance regulations. In 1909, Japan implemented the Japan–Korea Protocol [ko] which effectively removed Korea's judicial power. Meanwhile, Japan dispatched Itō Hirobumi, Japanese Resident-General of Korea, to negotiate with Russia over problems involving Korea and Manchuria. However, Itō was assassinated by Ahn Jung-geun at Harbin, which led to the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910. Pro-Japanese politicians, such as Song Byung-jun and Lee Wan-yong, defected, merging Korea with Japan by fabricating Korea's willingness and establishing the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty on 29 August 1910.[9][10]

Although still existent de jure, the intervention by the Japanese government effectively ended Sunjong's reign over the Korean Empire de facto and he became essentially powerless within three years of ruling. Japan, in effect, officially abolished the Korean Empire on 29 August 1910, ending 519 years of the Joseon dynasty.[11]

After abdication

Emperor, Queen and Yi On, the Crown Prince but not the child of the Emperor. The Emperor and his second wife. Image collected in the United States.

After the annexation treaty, the former Emperor Sunjong and his wife, Empress Sunjeong, lived the rest of their lives virtually imprisoned in Changdeokgung Palace in Keijō.[12] Sunjong could not exercise any power as emperor because there were only pro-Japanese politicians in the government. After the Korean Empire collapsed, Sunjong was demoted from emperor to king. Japan allowed him the title of King Yi of Changdeok Palace (창덕궁 이왕; 昌德宮 李王) and allowed for the title to be inherited.[7]

Sunjong died on 24 April 1926, in Changdeokgung and is buried with his two wives at the imperial tomb of Yureung (유릉, 裕陵) in the city of Nanyōshū. His state funeral on 10 June 1926, was a catalyst for the June 10th Movement against Japanese rule. He had no children.[13]

Family

Main article: House of Yi
  • Father
  • Mother
  • Sibling(s)
    • Older half-brother: Yi Seon, Prince Wanhwa (16 April 1868 – 12 January 1880) (이선 완화군)
    • Unnamed older half-sister (1871–1872)
    • Unnamed older brother (born 4 November 1871 – 8 November 1871)
    • Unnamed older sister (13 February 1873 – 28 September 1873)
    • Unnamed younger brother (born 5 April 1875 – 18 April 1875)
    • Unnamed younger brother (born 18 February 1878 – 5 June 1878)
    • Younger half-brother: Yi Kang, Prince Uihwa (30 March 1877 – August 1955) (이강 의화군)
    • Unnamed younger half-sister (1879–1880)
    • Younger half-brother: Yi Eun, Crown Prince Uimin (20 October 1897 – 1 May 1970) (이은 의민태자)
    • Younger half-sister: Princess Deokhye (25 May 1912 – 21 April 1989) (덕혜옹주, 德惠翁主)
    • Younger half-brother: Prince Yi Yuk (3 July 1914 – 22 January 1915) (이육)
    • Younger half-brother: Prince Yi U (20 August 1915 – 25 July 1916) (이우)
  • Consorts:

Honours

Ancestry

  • Emperor Gojong and the Crown Prince Sunjong
    Emperor Gojong and the Crown Prince Sunjong
  • Sunjong wearing Court uniform and dress of the Korean Empire
    Sunjong wearing Court uniform and dress of the Korean Empire
  • Sunjong wearing Court uniform and dress of Korean Empire, Japanese honors and Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
    Sunjong wearing Court uniform and dress of Korean Empire, Japanese honors and Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The order was established by the emperor's orders in 1907.

References

  1. ^ "건원절(乾元節) - 한국민족문화대백과사전". encykorea.aks.ac.kr.
  2. ^ "순종(純宗) - 한국민족문화대백과사전". encykorea.aks.ac.kr.
  3. ^ 사료 고종시대사. "고종, 황태자를 책봉한 뒤 신하들에게 문안 인사를 받음". db.history.go.kr. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  4. ^ 사료 고종시대사. "광무 황제, 직접 대원수가 되어 육해군을 통솔하고 황태자를 원수로 삼겠다는 조령을 내림". db.history.go.kr. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  5. ^ Veritable Records of Joseon Dynasty. "총서". sillok.history.go.kr. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  6. ^ Veritable Records of Joseon Dynasty. "황제 즉위식 장소와 규례에 관하여 조서를 내리다". sillok.history.go.kr. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b "The Academy of Korean Studies(한국학중앙연구원) : 순종(Sunjong)".
  8. ^ 『고종시대사 6』(History of Gojong's Period 6) : 국사편찬위원회(National History Compilation Committee), 1969, 635p.
  9. ^ 『고종시대사 6』(History of Gojong's Period 6) : 국사편찬위원회(National History Compilation Committee), 1969, 641p.
  10. ^ Rhee, Song Nai. Beautiful as the Rainbow: Nashimoto Masako, a Japanese Princess against All ... p. 100.
  11. ^ "::: Cultural Heritage, the source for Koreans' Strength and Dream :::". Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Emperor Sunjong of Korea". Asian History. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  13. ^ Yunghui Yi Cheok, Emperor Sunjong. Korea's Last Emperor's Goodbye: Korea Annexed by Japan. 1915.
  14. ^ "서봉장(瑞鳳章) - 한국민족문화대백과사전". encykorea.aks.ac.kr.
  15. ^ 刑部芳則 (2017). 明治時代の勲章外交儀礼 (PDF) (in Japanese). 明治聖徳記念学会紀要. pp. 149, 150.
  16. ^ "자료일람 | 한국사데이터베이스". db.history.go.kr. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
Sunjong of Korea
Born: 25 March 1874 Died: 24 April 1926
Regnal titles
Preceded by Emperor of Korea
19 July 1907 – 29 August 1910 		Empire dissolved
Royal titles
New title
 King Yi
(Changdeokgung)
29 August 1910 – 24 April 1926 		Succeeded by
Titles in pretence
Loss of title — TITULAR —
Emperor of Korea
29 August 1910 – 24 April 1926
Reason for succession failure:
Empire abolished in 1910 		Succeeded by
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