head general manager of Hyundai
He was born as the eldest son of Prince Gap of of Korea, the 9th son of Prince Yi Kang by his wife at Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul and became the adopted son of Prince Yi Gu, the twenty-ninth head of the Imperial house, though the legality of the adoption is contested.
He worked as a general manager of Hyundai Home Shopping a Hyundai Department Store Group company until Prince Yi Gu died on 16 July 2005. Also, according to present Korean law, the traditional adoption after death of a foster parent to continue the line has been outlawed by legislation as of 2004. While the line of Prince Gang is the senior line following the death of Prince Gu, there are descendants of the elder sons of Prince Gang.
In this case, the rightful Head of the House is Yi Chung, Prince Wu"s eldest son.
He currently lives in an apartment in Wondang, Goyang, Gyeonggi province, of Korea with his family.
Those who dispute the legitimacy of the adoption point out that consent for the adoption of Prince Won was not given by other members of Imperial House, including Prince Yi Seok, the younger half-brother of Prince Gap, and Princess Yi Hae-won, the eldest surviving member of the house. Another problem arises over whether Prince Won or his father Prince Gap is the senior member of the house. Prince Won attended the Sangmun High School during 1979-1981 and completed studies in broadcasting at the New York Institute of Technology, United States. His claim is contested by Princess Yi Haewon of of Korea who was crowned Empress of South of Korea by 12 descendants who felt that she should be Empress, not Prince Won. 16 July 2005 – present: assumed to be His Imperial Highness Won, Hereditary Prince Imperial of of Korea.
Barring the descendant of Prince Geon, the eldest son who had been naturalised as a Japanese after World World War II, some members of the House insist that the Headship of House should pass to the descendants of Prince Wu, the second son of Prince Gang. On 16 July 2005, following the death of Prince Gu, some members of the Lee Family Council chose him as the next Head of Korean Imperial Household and they also made his title the Hereditary Prince Imperial (Hwangsason) in the meaning of inherited a title of Prince Gu.
