Li Kuo, the overthrown king of the Joseon Dynasty, was born on February 8, 1874, in the 13th year of Tongzhi’s reign, in Guanwuxuan, Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul, the capital of Korea (today’s Seoul, South Korea). His father was Li Xi, Emperor Gaozong of Joseon, and his mother was Queen Min of Mingcheng (Concubine Min). Li Wei is the only remaining son between the two of them.
Li Kuo's father, Gaozong, got married when he was 15 years old, and his princess was Concubine Min, who was one year older than him. However, Emperor Gaozong stayed away from Concubine Min and was infatuated with another woman, Shang Gong Li (Li Shun'e). Li Shanggong first gave birth to a child in the seventh year of Tongzhi (1868). The royal family has a tradition of valuing mother and son, and Concubine Min felt deeply uneasy. Later, Emperor Gaozong favored Concubine Min. Concubine Min became pregnant three times, miscarried once and died twice. Therefore, the regent's biological father, Xingxuan Dayuanjun (grandfather of Li Quan), had doubts about Concubine Min's fertility and advocated the establishment of Yongbaodang Li family. (Li Shanggong)'s son Wanhejun Li Yun became the crown prince. This gradually intensified the conflict between Concubine Min and Lord Dayuan. When Li Wei was still in Concubine Min's womb, Concubine Min united with her own family's Min Shenghao, Min Qianhao and other anti-Daewuanjun forces to launch a palace coup in November of the twelfth year of Tongzhi (1873), ousting her father-in-law Daewuanjun. Because Gaozong was cowardly by nature, he was controlled by Concubine Min, so the era began when Gaozong was nominally in charge, but in fact Concubine Min's group held real power.
Shortly after overthrowing Dayuanjun, Li Suo was born. In order to consolidate her position, Concubine Min requested that the newborn Li Suo be immediately crowned the crown prince. At this time, the concubine Zhao (Queen Shenzhen), who joined forces with Concubine Min to defeat Daewuanjun, was dissatisfied with Concubine Min taking power alone, so she stood up to oppose it, and like the previous Daewuanjun, advocated the establishment of Emperor Gaozong's eldest son, Li Hong, as the crown prince. In North Korea, Concubine Min continued to cultivate her own power. Emperor Gaozong had completely turned to Concubine Min's side, and Concubine Min also tried her best externally. It turns out that the king of North Korea's enthronement, concubine concubine, crown prince, grandson and other activities must be approved by the suzerain country China. As the elder in the palace, Queen Shenjung advocated the establishment of Li Hong as crown prince, and her opinions were naturally respected by China. . Therefore, when Concubine Min proposed to the Chinese Qing government to establish Li Kuo as the crown prince, the Qing court was troubled and advocated the establishment of heirs in the order of eldest and youngest. Concubine Min used Min Kuihao, a member of her clan, as the court official and was responsible for diplomacy with China. She also hurriedly sent people to China to curry favor with Li Hongzhang and other important officials of the Qing Dynasty. She even contacted the Donglai Japanese Embassy and bribed the Japanese minister in China through the Japanese Embassy. Mediation made the Qing court change its mind. It took more than a year and millions of dollars to finally achieve the goal. On the first day of the first lunar month of the first year of Guangxu (1875), Emperor Gaozong decided to ennoble Li Kuo, who was under one year old, as the crown prince. Li Kuo became the youngest crown prince in the 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty. On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Li Yuyuan was sent as the crown prince's envoy to China to seek the title. On February 19, a crown prince canonization ceremony was held at Injeongjeon, Changdeokgung Palace. In August, Li Yuyuan set off for China. Since they had already said hello, the Qing court quickly agreed. In the first month of the second year of Guangxu (1876), the Qing government sent Jihe, the former Minister of Household Affairs in Shengjing, and Ula Xichong'a, a cabinet scholar, as chief and deputy envoys to North Korea, and officially enthroned Li Kuo as the crown prince. With the infant Li Su being established as the crown prince, Concubine Min's dominance in North Korea was completely consolidated.
Li Suo's "rival" Li Min was named Wanhejun after the crown prince's canonization and moved out of the palace to live. In the sixth year of Guangxu (1880), Li Shi died at the age of thirteen. There are widespread rumors that he was killed by Concubine Min. When Li Su was born, North Korea had already entered a troubled period. In August of the first year of Guangxu (1875), the "Yunyang Incident" occurred in which the Japanese warship "Yunyang" attacked Ganghwa Island in North Korea. The whole country of North Korea was shocked. In the first month of the following year, when the Qing Dynasty envoys conferred Li Kuo as the crown prince, Japan had already sent Kuroda Kiyotaka and Inoue Kaoru to lead 7 warships to Jianghua Island to force North Korea to sign a treaty on the grounds of investigating the responsibility for the "Yun Yang Incident" . The Qing Dynasty's imperial emissary warned Li Kuo's father, Emperor Gaozong, Li Xi: "Japanese sentiments are unpredictable, and coastal defense and martial law must not be neglected!" Subsequently, North Korea was forced to sign the "Ganghwa Treaty" with Japan, which was humiliating and humiliating to the country. This was a historic event in North Korea's history. The first unequal treaty, Korea's door was opened by Japan, paving the way for it to later become a Japanese colony. This seems to be a bad omen for the newly born Li Wei.
After Li Kuo was born, he was loved by Emperor Gaozong and Concubine Min. Shortly after Li Su was born, Emperor Gaozong specially ordered the imperial examination to be held in the name of "Zengguang Qingke" to celebrate. But Li Suo's health was not good after he was born and he often fell ill.
Emperor Gaozong and Concubine Min were very anxious about this. In addition to summoning imperial doctors for treatment, Concubine Min also offered sacrifices to the twelve thousand peaks of Mount Kumgang. They gave rice, a stone, a piece of cloth, and a thousand taels of money to each peak, hoping that the prince would be safe. . Emperor Gaozong and Concubine Min also recruited a large number of monks and shamans to pray for the prince, causing the palace to be in a state of chaos. Four years after Li Su was born, Concubine Min gave birth to two more sons, but they both died in infancy. As the only son of Concubine Min, Li Su regarded her as a treasure.
In the first month of the eighth year of Guangxu's reign (1882), the crown prince Li Kuo entered school and received the crowning ceremony. Concubine Min appointed her relative Min Taihao to be a doctor and serve as the crown prince's chief teacher. Immediately afterwards, the process of selecting the prince's concubines began. Concubine Min also decided that Min Taihao's daughter would be the crown prince's concubine, and the decision was officially made on the 26th of the first lunar month. On February 21st, nine-year-old Li Kuo and Min went to the New Palace in Anguodong (Min was Empress Chunmingxiao). The reason why Concubine Min arranged such a close relationship between the Min family and the prince was precisely to consolidate and continue the power of the Lixing Min family. In June of the eighth year of Guangxu's reign (1882), the Renwu Mutiny broke out in North Korea against Concubine Min's group. Concubine Min hurriedly transferred the crown prince Li Kuang to Jingyou Palace and escaped disguised as a palace maid. King Xingxuan Daewuan, who took advantage of the mutiny to return to power, announced that Concubine Min was dead. The crown prince was "inconsolable" after hearing the bad news. Later, the mutiny was put down by the Qing army, Lord Dayuan was captured and taken to China, and Concubine Min, who was hiding in the field, returned to the palace. When Concubine Min returned to the palace, the prince went to the palace gate to greet her in person. The relationship between Concubine Min and the Crown Prince deepened after this incident.
In the seventeenth year of Guangxu (1891), Yuan Shikai, the minister of the Qing Dynasty, believed that Gaozong was fatuous and incompetent and that there was no hope. He persuaded Gaozong to abdicate in favor of his son Li Kuo and let Dayuan Jun assist the government, hoping that this would revive the government. Korea. Emperor Gaozong was very frightened when he heard about it. He hurriedly ordered the crown prince to take the throne in the south, accept the congratulations of hundreds of officials, follow the story of Suzong, Yeongjo, and Sunjo, and ordered the crown prince to act on his behalf. Later, Li Rongyuan persuaded him to give up, but Li Rongyuan was also exiled. It is also said that the agency turmoil was caused by the fact that the prince's concubine Yihe Jun Li Kuan was far better than the prince, and the Lord of Dayuan was very prestigious. The Min family felt threatened, so they tried to strengthen their own power by using the prince's proxy to handle politics.
After the Sino-Japanese War of 1895-1895, Korea became independent from the Qing Dynasty. On December 17, the 53rd year of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (January 10, 1895), the crown prince Li Kuo was promoted to the title of Crown Prince. The title of Min was also promoted from king to great monarch, and Concubine Min was promoted from princess to queen. Li Wei was already 21 years old at this time. Nine months after Li Kuo was crowned crown prince, the "Yiwei Incident" occurred when Japanese prodigals invaded Gyeongbokgung Palace. Li Kuo was in Chang'an Hall where his father, Emperor Gaozong, Li Xi lived, while his mother, Concubine Min, was in Kunning Palace of Qianqing Palace. Pavilion, and Concubine Min is the target of Japanese assassination. Li Shuo witnessed the atrocities of the Japanese with his own eyes. He himself was tortured by the Japanese in an accident. What was even more terrifying was that his mother was killed by the Japanese among the palace ladies. Later, Li Wei heard some of the facts she witnessed from a palace maid who was at the scene, so she sent materials revealing the truth to the American embassy: "...the frightened princess said: 'I am here to visit.' The palace ladies also said this in unison, but the murderers still threw them into the courtyard, kicked the princess three times in the chest, and stabbed them with knives. At the same time, it is said that three palace ladies were also killed. The palace maid looked like the princess, so the murderer killed them together in order not to miss the target." In addition, Li Jian also witnessed the participation of the North Korean Yu Beomshan in the assassination of Concubine Min. It is said that Gao Yonggen was the one who assassinated Yu Beomshan in Japan eight years later. He delegated it.
Two days after the Yiwei Incident (August 22), Emperor Gaozong issued an edict to abolish Concubine Min as a commoner under the pressure of the Japanese. The crown prince became even more sad and angry when he heard about it, so he issued an edict to Tian Shang Shu asking him to resign as crown prince. Emperor Gaozong issued an edict the next day: "In consideration of the sincerity and filial piety of my crown prince, I have abolished the Min family, a commoner, and given her the title of concubine." This somewhat restored Concubine Min's reputation. For several months after that, it was difficult for Li Wei to wake up from this tragic incident. The bloody scene was always repeated before his eyes, so that he often cried like a child for no reason and kept calling for his mother. At this time, all the maids and attendants around her burst into tears. From then on, his temperament changed drastically, from lively and cheerful to taciturn.
On February 11, the first year of Jianyang (1896), Li Kuo and his father Gaozong escaped from the palace controlled by the Japanese in a women's sedan chair and took refuge in the Russian Embassy in North Korea. It is known in history as " The Russian Museum has been relocated." Gojong ordered the arrest of pro-Japanese minister Kim Hongji and others. At this point, the pro-Japanese cabinet collapsed, and the pro-Russian faction headed by Lee Beomjin and Lee Wanyong took power.
Emperor Gaozong and Prince Li Kuo were forced to live in the Russian legation for a year under pressure from the Russians and pro-Russian factions. During this period, a large amount of national sovereignty was betrayed by pro-Russian factions. On February 20, the second year of Jianyang (1897), Emperor Gaozong finally moved out of the Russian Legation and came to Qingyun Palace (today's Deoksugung Palace) with his prince Li Kuo. In August, the year was changed to the first year of Guangmu. On October 12, the first year of Guangmu (1897), Ri Xi proclaimed himself emperor and changed the name of the country to "Korean Empire". Crown Prince Li Kuo was named Crown Prince.
In order to cultivate this weak son, Gaozong opened the Grand Marshal's Palace on June 29, the second year of Guangwu (1898). Gaozong personally served as the Grand Marshal, commanding the land and sea armies. He is the marshal of the army and navy. Although Li Kuo was taciturn and rarely involved in government affairs at this time, his status and identity determined that it was difficult for him to escape political intrigue and harm. On September 13, the second year of Guangwu (1898), the so-called "tea poisoning incident" occurred. The pro-Russian official Jin Honglu ordered the imperial chefs Kong Hongzhi and Kim Jongho to poison the coffee presented to Emperor Gaozong and the prince. Emperor Gaozong felt that The coffee tasted weird and he didn't drink it. The prince took the cup and drank a little, then fainted and fell to the ground. Emperor Gaozong was shocked and ordered the imperial doctor to rescue him. Later, Jin Honglu and three others were arrested and sentenced to death. But Li Wei broke two of his front teeth when he fell to the ground with the poison, and the poison permanently damaged his brain nerves and body, making him even weaker.
After that, the prince was responsible for receiving Prince Henry of Germany and organizing Gaozong's fiftieth birthday. These were activities that Gaozong had high hopes for him and ordered him to carry out to train the prince. At that time, Concubine Yan Chun (a pure imperial concubine) was very good at it. In the fifth year of Guangwu (1901), she ordered the ministers to go to the palace and request that Concubine Yan be appointed as the queen, which caused a turmoil for the establishment of the queen. Although Gaozong doted on Concubine Yan very much, he considered that if he made Concubine Yan the queen, it would hurt the prince's heart, so he ultimately did not agree. On November 5, the eighth year of Guangwu's reign (1904), Crown Princess Min passed away. Two years later, he married Yin Zerong's daughter. She became the only pure, chaste and filial queen in the history of the Korean Peninsula who became a queen during her lifetime.
At this time, the Russo-Japanese War had broken out, and Japan once again took control of South Korea. After Japan defeated Russia, it forced the Korean Imperial Government to sign the "Japan-Korea Protection Agreement" (Eulsi Treaty) on November 17, the ninth year of Guangmu's reign (1905), depriving Korea of ??its diplomatic rights and reducing Korea to Japan's de facto colony. While being monitored by the Japanese, Emperor Gaozong sent his secret envoys Li Xiangxi, Li Jun, and Li Weizhong to The Hague, Netherlands to attend the Second Peace Conference of All Nations. Unexpectedly, after their handwritten letters and letters of appointment were discovered by Japan, Japanese Supervisor of Korea Ito Hirobumi ordered Li Wanyong (here At that time, he turned from being pro-Russian to being pro-Japanese), Song Bingzhen and other treacherous ministers forced Gaozong to abdicate on the grounds of violating the "Yisi Treaty". On July 19, the eleventh year of Guangwu's reign (1907), Emperor Gaozong announced that "military and national affairs will be handled by the Crown Prince." The Japanese did not give up. They brought 6 cannons and aimed them at Qingyun Palace, forcing Emperor Gaozong to abdicate. On July 20, under the control of the Japanese and pro-Japanese faction, the proxy hearing ceremony was transformed into the abdication ceremony, and was held in the form of "Quan Sui Li", that is, neither the emperor nor the prince attended, and the eunuch acted as a substitute. The ceremony ended in a hurry. On August 2, Li Wan used the two era names of "Longxi" and "Taishi", and Li Su decided to use "Longxi" as the new year's name. At such a critical moment when the country was about to be destroyed, Li Kuo, who had been the crown prince for thirty years, inherited the throne of the Korean Empire. Four days after Li Jian received Zen, Japan forced the Korean government to sign a new Japan-Korea Treaty, which was known in history as the "Third Japan-Korea Treaty" (the Third Japan-Korea Treaty). According to this agreement, South Korea's judicial power was deprived, and the army was disbanded in the form of Sunjong's edict on August 1. This treaty triggered the climax of the anti-Japanese volunteer movement, but the Korean Empire was helpless and it was only a matter of time before it was annexed by Japan. Emperor Gaozong originally asked Sunjong to take over government affairs in the name of "agency". He was never passed on to Sunjong, but was "abdicated" under the manipulation of the Japanese and pro-Japanese factions. Therefore, Sunjong's throne can be said to be illegal. On the other hand, the important edicts and decrees promulgated during the Sunjong period were not signed by Sunjong himself, but were forged by the Korean Unification Office in Japan. The person who forged Sunjong's signature was named Maema Kyousaku. This fact has been Detailed research was conducted by Professor Lee Tae-jin of Seoul National University in South Korea. Therefore, Sunzong served as emperor for three years, which was not only illegal, but also a puppet completely at the mercy of others, without any real power.
On August 16, the first year of Longxi (1907), Sunzong issued an edict saying: "I will improve my administration and strive for reform for the first time, and I must start with my bow. I should cut off my hair and uniform on the day I ascend the throne. , the subjects know it and obey my wishes.
"On August 27, Sunjong wore a Western-style uniform and held an enthronement ceremony at Dundeokjeon, a Western-style palace in Gyeongun Palace, and officially ascended the throne as emperor. This Western-style enthronement ceremony is also unprecedented in the history of the Korean Peninsula Once. The former Crown Princess Min (the daughter of Min Taehao) was posthumously honored as Queen Chunmingxiao, and Crown Princess Yin was named Queen. At this time, Sunjong was already 34 years old, but she had no children. , Prince Yi Li Yin should have succeeded to the throne, but Gaozong's concubine Yan Guifei took the opportunity to ally with the Japanese, and relied on Japan's power to demand that her son Li Yin, Prince Ying, be the heir of Chunzong. ) was canonized as Crown Prince Sunjong on September 7. On November 13 of the same year, Sunjong, the queen and the prince moved to Changdeok Palace under Japanese pressure, leaving Gyeongun Palace (Deoksugung Palace) alone. The reason why Japan did this was to break up the relationship between the Korean royal family.
On October 16, the first year of Longxi (1907), the Japanese emperor. When Prince Yoshihito (later Emperor Taisho) visited Korea, the Korean crown prince Li Eun personally went to the Nihyeon Imperial Brigade to greet him. Sunjong issued an edict to warmly welcome him. This was actually a precursor to the Korean royal family being absorbed into the Japanese royal family. After Yoshihito left, Japan. The Korean eunuch Ito Hirobumi has been using hard and soft tactics on Sunjong and Gojong, forcing them to send the ten-year-old crown prince Li Eun to Japan to study, and said that since the Japanese prince came, the Korean prince should also go to Japan on November 19. On that day, Sunzong issued an edict to send Prince Li Yin to Japan to study, and named Ito Hirobumi as the Crown Prince's Grand Master, and Prime Minister Li Wanyong as the Prince's Young Master. After that, Ito Hirobumi's title in Korea changed to "Ito Grand Master". . When Li Yin was sent away, Emperor Gaozong could only say goodbye in tears, and Emperor Sunjong was naturally helpless. At this point, the Korean royal family was in disarray by Japan and had no ability to resist. < /p>
The second year of Longxi (1908) was the year when the volunteer movement was at its peak. In February of that year, rebels from all over the country once surrounded Seoul, but were defeated by Japan. After that, Japan mobilized a large number of troops to suppress the rebels. Movement. During this year, the volunteer struggles in various places were flattened by the Japanese army, and it was difficult to form a climate. Under this situation, Ito Hirobumi suggested that Emperor Sunsong visit the south to appease the people, and Ito's real purpose was " If you want to make the people of North and South Korea know, there is no other way but to trust me." On January 7, the third year of Longxi's reign (1909), Sunjong took a car from the south gate of Seoul and visited Daegu, Busan, and Masanpo in the south. When they arrived in Busan, they were accompanied by a large number of Korean ministers, including Minister of the Imperial Household Min Byung-seok, and many Japanese including Ito Hirobumi. There were rumors that the Japanese were going to kidnap Sunjong and take him to Japan, so tens of thousands of Busan citizens surrounded the port and escorted him to death. When Sunjong arrived at the Busan harbor, some fishermen surrounded him in five or six boats and shouted: "If your Majesty goes eastward, I will die in the water together. I can't bear to see me." You are captured! "The officials who accompanied the boat on the shore hurriedly refuted the rumor, and the fishermen left after talking dry. It is said that when Ito Hirobumi accompanied Sunzon on a tour of Busan, he got out of the car and asked the crowd with a sword: "I, Hirobumi, have desires. The one who killed him? The crowd didn't dare to answer, and one person answered loudly: "No!" Ito was even more proud of this. He also wrote a poem on the way: "The sun shines brightly and the colors are new, and the grass and trees in Qingnan begin to bloom in spring." The sad song is about the ruin of the country and the corruption of Confucianism, and the chaos of the people is not allowed to underestimate the emperor Jun. "The ministers who accompanied him all made peace. Ito went to Mashanpo again and lectured the crowd on the friendship between Japan and South Korea. The crowd was furious after hearing this. Ito regretted it and left before he finished speaking. Six days after the southern tour, Sunzon and his party Returning to Seoul by car
Just after the southern tour, Sunjong began his western tour again. On January 27, the third year of Longxi's reign (1909), Sunzong and his party took a car to visit Ping'an Road in the west. The scale of this western tour was larger than that of the southern tour. Sunjong and his party traveled through Kaesong, Pyongyang, and returned to Seoul on February 3. Rumors of the assassination of Ito Hirobumi even occurred in Kaesong. This month, the Korean Unification Office forced Sungkyunkwan Confucian scholars to shave their heads.
On June 14, the third year of Longxi (1909). Hirobumi Ito returned to the country and was reinstated as Speaker of the Privy Council. Sone Arasuke succeeded him as the Unified Supervisor of Korea, and still closely monitored the royal family headed by Sunjong. At this time, the Korean government had been completely ignored by Japan, which held important positions in all levels of Korean government. There were 2,480 people. On October 26 of that year, Ito Hirobumi was shot to death by South Korean young man An Jung-geun at the Harbin train station in China.
Taking the opportunity of Ahn Jung-geun's killing of Ito Hirobumi, the Japanese government and opposition parties vigorously advocated the immediate annexation of South Korea. South Korea's pro-Japanese organization "Iljinkai" also launched a "Union Petition Movement". The Joseon Dynasty, which lasted for more than 500 years, finally came to an end.
In the fourth year of Longxi (1910), the Japanese government officially decided to annex South Korea, and appointed Masaki Terauchi as the new supervisor to be responsible for this matter. On July 23, Masaoji Temple came to Seoul. On August 16, Terauchi Masaki presented his request for the merger of Japan and South Korea to South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wanyong. Lee Wanyong did not refuse, but only proposed two opinions: not to change the name of South Korea and to ennoble Sunjong and Gojong after the merger. . On the night of August 21, Li Wanyong and Yin Derong, uncle of Sunjong Queen Yoon, met with Sunjong and asked him to agree to the merger. All this had been expected by Sunzong, but Sunzong still lamented that he did not allow his request. The queen on the side also cried loudly. Yin Derong begged the queen to stop crying and threatened: "If so, there will be disaster for the Red Clan." !" Sunzong had no choice but to agree to Li Wanyong's request. After Li Wanyong left, Sunjong and his wife once again covered their faces and cried bitterly.
At 13:00 on August 22, the fourth year of Longxi (1910), Emperor Sunjong held the last imperial meeting of the Korean Empire at Heungbokhyeon in Changdeokgung Palace. At the meeting, all ministers unanimously agreed to the merger of Japan and South Korea. Sunjong had no choice but to agree and granted Li Wanyong a letter of full power to sign the "Japan-Korea Merger Treaty" on behalf of South Korea. At 16:00 on the same day, Lee Wan-yong signed the "Japan-Korea Merger Treaty" with Terauchi Masaichi at the Unification Supervisory Office. The Korean Peninsula became a Japanese colony.
On August 29, 1910, Emperor Sunzong issued an edict to abdicate. It is said that there was an episode when the abdication edict was promulgated. Queen Sunjong Yoon heard Li Wanyong, Yin Derong and Sunjong discussing the abdication from behind the screen, so she came out to stop it and hid the jade seal. Later, the jade seal was forced by her uncle Yin Derong. Take away. However, although the jade seal of "Treasure of Imperial Order" was stamped in the "Transfer and Edict", there was no signature of Sunjong. On this day, Japan announced the "Japan-Korea Merger Treaty" and pasted Emperor Sunjong's "Transfer and Transfer Edict", Emperor Meiji's "Merge Edict" and a series of decrees promulgated by Masaki Terauchi on the streets of Seoul. Sunjong issued an edict saying: "I have undertaken a difficult and arduous task in order to deny my virtue. From the time I came to the throne to today, I have been eager to prepare for the reform of the government decree, and it is not impossible to use my strength. The reason is that the weakness has become chronic, and the fatigue has reached the extreme. There is no hope of remedial measures during the day, and I am worried at night, and I am at a loss as to how to deal with the aftermath. It is useless to let things fall apart, and it will not be able to deal with the end. It is better to entrust people with great responsibilities than to play a complete method and innovate the results. Therefore, Qu Ran introspected and made a decision. He hereby ceded the rule of Korea to his former trusted and trusted neighbor, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, in order to consolidate the peace of the East and preserve the people's livelihood in the eight regions. As for you, all my subjects, please carefully observe the situation of the country and the current situation, do not be disturbed, each can go about his business, obey the civilized government of the Japanese Empire, and enjoy happiness. What I am doing today is not to forget you, but to save everyone. I wish you all the best. I wish you all the best. On August 29, the fourth year of Longxi's reign, the Joseon Dynasty lasted for 519 years and its 14th year. The Korean Empire declared its demise, and Sunjong Li Kuo became the last monarch in the history of the Korean Peninsula. After Li Kuo abdicated, he was demoted by Japan to "King Li of Changdeokgung Palace" and placed under house arrest in Changdeokgung Palace, a long palace with a history of more than 400 years. He became a foreign prisoner in his own country. Li Kuo's father, Emperor Gaozong Li Xi, was demoted to King Li Tai of Deoksugung Palace, and both were included in the Japanese royal family. On October 1, the 43rd year of Meiji (1910), Japan formally established the Governor-General of Korea and began its 36-year colonial rule. South Korea's country name was restored to "North Korea", and Seoul was renamed "Gyeongseongfu". After the fall of the country, Li Kuo and his family, as well as Li Wanyong and other distinguished ministers who played an important role in this unprecedented act of treason, totaling 76 people, were rewarded by Japan and received titles, bonuses and years of service. fee. Li Kuo drew a considerable amount of living expenses from the Japanese every year and continued to maintain his imperial life on the surface. However, he no longer had any power, not even his say in the arrangement of the furniture in his bedroom. According to Japanese regulations, that is the power of the newly established North Korean royal affairs management organization "King Lee", and the person in charge of "King Lee" is appointed by the Japanese.
Although Li Kuo still lived in Changdeokgung Palace at this time, his range of activities was strictly restricted like a caged bird. Except for his palace, Dazao Hall, everything else is off limits. Japan prohibited him and his former ministers from going to the outer hall where they used to go to court to discuss matters, because at this time there was no need for them to participate in the "discussions" about Korea.
Li Wei can take a complete rest. He had no country to govern and no government to manage. He hid in the secret garden of the palace and silently recited "The east wind blew again in the small building last night." In the sixth year of Taisho (1917), a fire in Changdeokgung Palace destroyed most of his "small buildings". The Japanese with ulterior motives used the excuse that they needed wood to repair Changdeokgung Palace and demolished Gyeongbokgung Palace. More than 4,000 rooms. It turns out that the Japanese listened to the ideas of some Feng Shui masters and deliberately destroyed the Korean palace, cut off its "dragon veins" and destroyed its "king aura" in order to rule Korea permanently. In this regard, Li Kuo knew Japan's sinister intentions, but he was unable to protect the palace left by his ancestors and could only sigh.
In May of the sixth year of Taisho (1917), Li Kuo went to Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, to pay homage to the former residence of Joseon Taizu Li Chenggui and to pay homage to the graves of Li Zichun and other ancestors; in June of the same year, Li Kuo Under Yin Derong's plan, he traveled eastward to Japan and paid a pilgrimage to Emperor Taisho. In January of the eighth year of Taisho (1919), Gaozong passed away. Li Suo remembered that his mother was murdered by the Japanese and his father was poisoned by the Japanese. He had an untold blood feud with the Japanese. But he was powerless and unable to take revenge, and he only kept it as a permanent pain in his heart. At this time, he became extremely superstitious. He became convinced that people have souls after death and that people can express their feelings to their deceased relatives. He often went to the palace where Emperor Gaozong lived and the Hongling Mausoleum where Emperor Gaozong and Concubine Min were buried after their deaths, and recited endlessly in front of the empty sky. Later, when there was a telephone in the palace, he ordered someone to set up a dedicated telephone line leading to Gaozong's former residence and the mausoleum area. Whenever he was unable to go due to physical discomfort, he would ask his attendants to answer the phone and ask the person on the other end of the line to put the phone in. Facing the place where Emperor Gaozong's soul is believed to reside, he then put on plain clothes, sat upright and spoke softly into the microphone. All the waiters who saw this scene were moved. He continued this habit for several years until he became seriously ill. Li Wei is a kind and cowardly person by nature. He suffered incurable wounds both physically and mentally. In March of the fifteenth year of Taisho (1926), Li Kuo became seriously ill. His younger brother Li Yin, who had been appointed crown prince by the royal family at that time, rushed back to the capital from Tokyo, Japan after hearing the news. Seeing that Li Su was so ill and still lacked adequate medical treatment, Li Yin ordered the relevant departments to deploy full-time nurses to take care of him, recruit good doctors, and use both traditional Chinese and Western medicine. But Li Yin failed to implement the last one even after leaving. At dawn on April 25, the 15th year of Taisho (1926), Li Kuo passed away in Daejojeon of Changdeokgung Palace at the age of fifty-three. The title of King Li was "Chunzong" in his temple, and his posthumous title was "Emperor Wenwenwenwu Ningdunrenren, sincere, respectful and filial". After Sunjong's death, he secretly dictated his posthumous edict to his uncle Zhao Dingjiu (the son-in-law of Heungseon Daewon). Zhao Dingjiu dictated it and published it in the Shinhan Minbo newspaper published in the United States on July 28, 1926. . Sunjong's imperial edict reads:
The only thing left in one's life is to determine the right thing to destroy and merge. The edict said: In the past, the right to merge and merge was done by strong neighbors and rebellious ministers. It is not my fault to declare it myself. It only confines me and restrains me so that I cannot understand that what I say is not what I am doing. Alas! Is it true in ancient and modern times? Yu Gou has been alive for seventeen years, and he has become a sinner of the clan and a sinner of twenty million people. I haven't lost a breath, I can't forget it for a while, I'm trapped in a secluded prison, and I don't have the freedom to speak out, until today. Today, I am seriously ill. I once died without being able to say a word, and I am about to die without closing my eyes. Therefore, I entrust you now to announce this edict to China and foreign countries, so that our people, who I love and respect the most, will know that the merger was not what I did. The previous so-called recognition and letting the imperial edict return to its original state are abandoned. I have a lot of people, I will work hard to recover, and my soul will bless you.
Sunjong's posthumous edict clearly denied that he recognized the "Japan-Korea Merger Treaty", which can also confirm the fact that there is no signature of Sunjong in the "Edict of Transfer". This edict is not only Sunzong's explanation of history, but also expresses the inner sadness under the shadow of the country's subjugation.
In order to win people's hearts, the North Korean Governor-General ordered a grand Korean traditional state funeral to be held for Sunjong. On June 10, the fifteenth year of Taisho (1926), the funeral of Sunzong Li Kuo was officially held. The mausoleum was chosen to be located next to the Hong Tomb of Jingudong in Nanyangzhou City where his father, Emperor Gaozong, and his mother, Queen Mingcheng, lived, and was named "Yuling". At 8 o'clock in the morning, Dayu drove out of Dunhua Gate. The funeral procession, composed of hundreds of thousands of people from the royal family, noble ministers and people from all over the country who came to "watch and cry", was more than 20 miles long. After the fall of the country, King Li became a symbol of the country's independence. The citizens expressed their grief for the country's fall by mourning the late king. The excited flow of people gradually got out of control. They once again took out their hidden Taigeuk flags and shouted the slogan "Long Live Independence."
As early as April 28, a young man named Song Xuexian saw a Japanese driving out of Changdeokgung Palace in a car. He believed that this person must be the Japanese Governor Minoru Saito, so he rushed up and stabbed him in the chest with a short knife. , a person nearby blocked him and was stabbed to death. Unfortunately, the person who was assassinated was not the Japanese governor, but just the leader of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Kyoto Prefectural Covenant, Sato Torajiro. He was seriously injured; the one who blocked him and was stabbed to death was the Kyoto Prefectural Coordinator, the Japanese Takayuki Takayama. Song Xuexian was injured and arrested on the spot by patrolmen. Later, he was severely tortured and finally killed. But his feat inspired young people across the country. On June 10, the day of Sunjong's funeral, they distributed anti-Japanese propaganda and launched a school strike. The Japanese military and police arrested people everywhere, further arousing popular resistance, which eventually evolved into the nationwide "Six Hundred Long Live Movement."