House of Yi
The House of Yi, also called the Yi dynasty (also transcribed as the Lee dynasty), was the royal family of the Joseon dynasty and later the imperial family of the Korean Empire, descended from the Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye. All of his descendants are members of the Jeonju Yi clan.
| House of Yi | |
|---|---|
| Parent house | Jeonju Yi clan |
| Country | Korea |
| Founded | 17 July 1392 (Joseon's founding) |
| Founder | Taejo of Joseon |
| Current head |
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| Final ruler | Sunjong of Korea |
| Titles |
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| Deposition | 29 August 1910 |
| Cadet branches | 125 cadet branches (approximately 105 extant) including:
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After the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, in which the Empire of Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula, some members of the Jeonju Yi clan were incorporated into the Imperial House of Japan and the Japanese peerage by the Japanese government. This lasted until 1947, just before the Constitution of Japan was promulgated. The treaty was nullified in the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea.
With the Constitution succeeding to the Provisional Government, the descendants of the Imperial Family continue to be given preference and constitute a favored symbol in South Korea. The July 2005 funeral of Yi Ku, former head of the royal household, attracted considerable media coverage. Yi Seok also caught attention as of the 100th anniversary of Korean independence on March 1, 2019.