Yi U


Yi U was the 4th head of Unhyeon Palace, a member of the imperial family of Korea, and a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II. He was killed during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Biography

He was born the second son of Prince Gang, the fifth son of Emperor Gojong.
However, unlike his elder brother, Prince Gŏn, he maintained his integrity as a Korean, despite his Japanese education. This made him the favorite son of his father, Prince Gang, who himself attempted to escape from Korea to join the exiled Korean government. He overcame all attempts by the Japanese to marry him off to a minor Japanese noble, and married Lady Park Chan-ju, a granddaughter of Marquis Pak Yung-hio who was a husband of Princess Yŏnghye of Korea. They had two children, Yi Chung and Yi Jong .
Prince Yi served in the Japanese Army stationed in China. Commissioned a second lieutenant on 25 October 1933, he was promoted to lieutenant on 25 October 1935, to captain on 1 March 1938, to major on 15 October 1941 and to lieutenant colonel on 10 June 1945.

Death

According to Ahmet Ertegün, Prince Yi was transferred to Hiroshima in 1945, and on 6 August 1945, he was mortally injured by the atomic bomb blast on the way to his office, and died later that day at a medical aid station. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel. After his funeral, Adjutant Lieutenant Colonel Yoshinari Hiroshi committed suicide on account of not being able to save Prince Yi. Thereafter his body was moved to Korea and was buried in Heungwon on 15 August 1945, the day the war ended.

Popular culture