Yi Ku

▪ 2006

      Korean royal (b. Dec. 29, 1931, Tokyo, Japan—d. July 16, 2005, Tokyo) was heir to the throne of Korea though he was born in exile and spent most of his life in Japan. The Yi family ruled Korea for more than 500 years, but Japan ended its dynasty in 1910. Yi's father, Crown Prince Yongchin, was taken to Japan and forced to marry a member of the Japanese royal family. Yi was raised and educated in Japan and the United States, and he spoke very little Korean. He was not allowed to live in Korea until 1963. After a business failure he returned to Tokyo in 1977.

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