Yi Cheong

Prince Yi Cheong of Korea (born 23 April 1936) is a member of the former Imperial Family of Korea and the genealogical male-line heir of Emperor Gojong.[1] He is the eldest son of Prince Wu of Korea who inherited the title of Prince Heung with the 4th head of Unhyun Palace and his wife Princess Chanju, a granddaughter of Marquis Park Yeonghyo who was a son-in-law of King Cheoljong of Joseon.

He was nine years old when he inherited Unhyeongung, where Emperor Gojong was born, because his father, a colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army, was killed by the atomic blast that destroyed Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. In 1947, his father's elder brother, Prince Gun (Momoyama Ken'ichi) acquired Japanese citizenship. This made Prince Cheong the likely direct heir of his grandfather, Prince Imperial Ui, who died in 1955.

In 1991, Prince Cheong gave his ancestral home of Unhyeongung to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the death of his mother.

At present, he is de jure genealogical heir to the headship of the Imperial family when male primogeniture is applied. However, he has declined to participate in the leadership of the Imperial family. In his absence, Yi Hae-won, Yi Won and Yi Seok, all descendants of Prince Uihwa, make various claims to the leadership of the house.