Collection: Willard Dickerman Straight and Early U.S.-Korea Diplomatic Relations, Cornell University Library

Title: Emperor, Empress and Crown Prince of Korea

Date: 1907-1910

Place: Asia: South Korea; Seoul

Type: Portraits

Description: [right:] Portrait of King 'Sunjong' (1874-1826), the emperor of Korea, in full dress of the head of state of the Empire of the Great Han (i.e. Korea). He was the second son of King 'Kojong' and Queen Min. After King 'Kojong' was accused of endangering Korea's sovereignty and security as an independent political entity, 'Sunjong' became the last ruler of the Yi Dynasty (1907-1910). In fact, King 'Kojong' - then in custody of the Japanese military in the 'Toksugung' (Palace of Virtuous Long Life) in Seoul - sent secret envoys to the International Peace Conference in Hague in June 1907, 'exposing Japanese invasion of Korea to the whole world.' To the left is Queen 'Sunjonghyo' (1894-1966), who married king 'Sunjong' in 1907. This marriage did not produce any children. In the center is the Korean crown prince Yi Un (Yongchinwang). He ewas the last crown prince of the Yi dynasty. Forced by the Japanese to go to Japan for further study, he lived most of his adult life in that country. In 1920 he was married to Princess Masako (Yi Pangja), a cousin of the present empress of Japan - In 1963 he returned to Korea and on May 1, 1970, quietly passed away at Naksonjae at the age of seventy-three.e Sources: Adams, Edward B. Palaces of Seoul, 1972. P. 138. Sajin uiro ponun tongnip undong (Independence Movement Through Pictures), 1996, v. 1, p. 60.

Inscription/Marks: Image imprinted with legends in Japanese. Pencilled inscription on verso identifies three subjects.

Identifier: 1260.74.11.03

Persistent URI: hdl.handle.net/1813.001/5xrs

There are no known U.S. copyright restrictions on this image. The digital file is owned by the Cornell University Library which is making it freely available with the request that, when possible, the Library be credited as its source.