Wu, Prince of Korea
Encyclopedia
Yi Wu was the 4th head of Unhyeon Palace
and a member of the imperial family of Korea.
At the age of five, he was adopted to be the heir of deceased Prince Jun (or Prince Yeongseon, 永宣君李埈 yeong seon gun i jun), the 3rd head of Unhyeon Palace and the only son of the elder brother of Emperor Gojong, Prince Hui (or Prince Heung, 興親王李熹 heung chin wang i hui or Yi Jaemyeon, Prince Wanheung of Korea, 完興君李載冕 wan heung gun i jae myeon). He was taken to Japan shortly afterwards in pretense of educational purposes.
However, unlike his elder brother, Prince Geon
(李鍵 이건 i geon), he maintained his integrity as a Korean, despite his Japanese education. This made him the favorite son of his father, Prince Gang, who himself attempted to escape from Korea to join the exiled Korean Government. He overcame all attempts by the Japanese to marry him off to a minor Japanese noble, and married Lady
Park Chan-ju, a granddaughter of Marquis
Park Yeong-hyo who was a husband of Princess Yeonghye of Korea. They had two children, Yi Chung
(李淸 이청 i cheong) (born 23 April 1936) and Yi Jong (李淙 이종 i jong) (born 9 November 1940 - 1966).
Prince Wu was served in the Japanese Army
stationed in China
. Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1930s, he was promoted to Major
by 1943 and Lieutenant-Colonel in 1944. While in the Empire of Manchuria, he is supposedly reported to have supported the guerrilla resistance movement by exiled Korean and Chinese people.
Prince Wu was restationed to Hiroshima
in 1945, and on 6 August 1945, he was severely injured by the atomic bomb blast
on the way to his office, and died later that day at a medical aid station. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Colonel
. After his funeral, Adjutant
Lieutenant Colonel Yoshinari Hiroshi (吉成 弘) committed seppuku
on account for not being able to save Prince Wu. Thereafter his body was moved to Korea and was buried in Hongneung Imperial Tomb on 15 August 1945, the day the war ended.
Unhyeongung
Unhyeon Palace , also known as Unhyeongung Royal Residence, is a former Korean royal residence located at 114-10 Unni-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea. It was formerly the residence of Prince Regent Daewon-gun, ruler of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty in the 19th century, and father of Emperor Gojong...
and a member of the imperial family of Korea.
Biography
He was born the second son of Prince Gang, the fifth son of Emperor Gojong.At the age of five, he was adopted to be the heir of deceased Prince Jun (or Prince Yeongseon, 永宣君李埈 yeong seon gun i jun), the 3rd head of Unhyeon Palace and the only son of the elder brother of Emperor Gojong, Prince Hui (or Prince Heung, 興親王李熹 heung chin wang i hui or Yi Jaemyeon, Prince Wanheung of Korea, 完興君李載冕 wan heung gun i jae myeon). He was taken to Japan shortly afterwards in pretense of educational purposes.
However, unlike his elder brother, Prince Geon
Kenichi Momoyama
Colonel Yi Geon, known by his Japanese names Ri Ken and was a cavalry officer in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. The first son of Prince Ui of Korea by Lady Jeong, he was a grandson of Emperor Gwangmu...
(李鍵 이건 i geon), he maintained his integrity as a Korean, despite his Japanese education. This made him the favorite son of his father, Prince Gang, who himself attempted to escape from Korea to join the exiled Korean Government. He overcame all attempts by the Japanese to marry him off to a minor Japanese noble, and married Lady
Lady
The word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
Park Chan-ju, a granddaughter of Marquis
Marquis
Marquis is a French and Scottish title of nobility. The English equivalent is Marquess, while in German, it is Markgraf.It may also refer to:Persons:...
Park Yeong-hyo who was a husband of Princess Yeonghye of Korea. They had two children, Yi Chung
Yi Chung
Prince Yi Chung of Korea is a member of the former Imperial Family of Korea and the genealogical male-line heir of Emperor Gojong...
(李淸 이청 i cheong) (born 23 April 1936) and Yi Jong (李淙 이종 i jong) (born 9 November 1940 - 1966).
Prince Wu was served in the Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
stationed in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1930s, he was promoted to Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
by 1943 and Lieutenant-Colonel in 1944. While in the Empire of Manchuria, he is supposedly reported to have supported the guerrilla resistance movement by exiled Korean and Chinese people.
Prince Wu was restationed to Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
in 1945, and on 6 August 1945, he was severely injured by the atomic bomb blast
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
on the way to his office, and died later that day at a medical aid station. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. After his funeral, Adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
Lieutenant Colonel Yoshinari Hiroshi (吉成 弘) committed seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
on account for not being able to save Prince Wu. Thereafter his body was moved to Korea and was buried in Hongneung Imperial Tomb on 15 August 1945, the day the war ended.
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- Korea under Japanese ruleKorea under Japanese ruleKorea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
- Korean Imperial HouseholdKorean Imperial HouseholdThe House of Yi, also called the Korean Imperial Household, was the household of the Joseon Dynasty and Korean Empire, consisting of the descendants of the Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. Yi Seong-gye is known as Taejo: The Great Ancestor...