Prince Imperial Ui

Who was Prince Imperial Ui?

Prince Yi Kang, the Prince Imperial Uihwa, was the fifth son of Emperor Gwangmu of Korea and his concubine, Lady Yang who was a court lady-in-waiting.

He received his given name of Yi Gang and was titled Prince Uihwa with the style of His Royal Highness in 1891. He married Lady Gim Sudeok, later known as the Princess Duk-in, a daughter of 1st Baron Gim Sajun.

He could not become the Crown Prince, even though he was older than his brother Prince Imperial Yeong, because the Japanese government disliked his rebellious nature. Additionally, his mother had already died, weakening his claim to the throne.

He was appointed special ambassador to Japan for the celebration of Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese war in 1894. The next year, he visited six European countries as an ambassador extraordinary: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, Italy and Austria.

He went to the United States to study and was promoted to the rank of Prince Imperial Eui, styled His Imperial Highness, in 1899. He also served as the president of the Korean Red Cross from 1906 to 1910.