Yi Seok

Yi Seok
Yi in 2021, a few days to about a month before transferring his claim as "head of the house"
PredecessorYi Ku
SuccessorAndrew Lee
Born (1941-08-30) 30 August 1941
Sadong Palace, Keijō, Korea, Empire of Japan
SpouseDokko Jeonghui (divorced)
Song Hui-yeong (divorced)
Kyung Sook Lee
IssueYi Hong
Yi Jin
HouseYi
FatherYi Kang, Prince Imperial Ui
MotherLady Hong Chŏng-sun
Occupation
  • Professor of Jeonju University
  • Founding leader of the Imperial Cultural Foundation of Korea
Korean name
Hangul
이석
Hanja
李錫
RRI Seok
MRI Sŏk
Birth name
Hangul
이해석
Hanja
李海錫
RRI Haeseok
MRI Haesŏk

Yi Seok (Korean이석), anglicized as Paul Samuel Harrison Lee; born 3 August 1941, is a South Korean entrepreneur. He is a member of the House of Yi, the royal house of Joseon and Korean Empire. He is the 10th son of Prince Yi Kang, the fifth son of Emperor Gojong, and one of his concubines, Lady Hong Chŏng-sun.

Yi promotes the creation of a constitutional monarchy alongside the existing presidential system. In August 2006, Yi founded the Imperial Cultural Foundation of Korea (황실문화재단) to support this proposal. In his early life, he gained fame as a singer and he released a 1967 album Pigeon House. Since 2004, he has been employed by the city of Jeonju to promote tourism. He also serves as a professor of history at Jeonju University. Yi's guesthouse in the Jeonju Hanok Village has been visited by Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in.