Last Prince Of Korea- Lee Ku (1931-2005)

Lee Ku and Julia Mullock

Recently I have been hitted by the "heat" of a K-drama called "Princess Hours" aka "Goong" , so I have decided I go check out the ex-existing dynasty of Korea, namely the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The Joseon Dynasty ended during the Japanese Occupation. The Joseon's Last Emperor Gojong's son, Lee Ku was the interesting character. Lee Ku would be the the heir apparent to the throne if the Joseon Dynasty hasnt been overthrown.

The post focus here is on Lee Ku's story and it is a tragic one, in my point of view.

Lee Ku's parents marriage was a plot by the Japanese to overthrow the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Ku's mother, Masako Nashimotomiya. was a member of the Japan Royal family, she was berothed to Emperor Gojong because she was medical certified to be infertile. The plan was to terminate "the seed" of the Joseon Dynasty.

In short ,from the day Lee Ku was born until he grows old, his status of being the crown prince of Korea had been threaten, imagine the pressure he had to go through. His teenage years he went to US to study and he found the love of his life and married her, Julia Mullock, which his family was strongly against their marriage and force them to divorce and they had to live apart. They have no children. And the Joseon seed ended when Lee Ku died last year ,died of heart attack at the age of 74 on July 16, 2005, in a room of the Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo, Japan... alone.

Not many people know about Lee Ku's story, when you have the time, check out on the internet and read the true life story of Korea's last Crown Prince. History is interesting.