View source for Princess Deokhye

{{Short description|Last princess of the Korean Empire (1912–1989)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Princess Deokhye<br />덕혜옹주
| image        = Princess dukhye around 1923.JPG
| caption      = 10-11 year old Princess Deokhye, ca. 1923
| birth_name   = Yi Deokhye
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1912|5|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[Deoksugung|Deoksu Palace]], [[History of Seoul|Keijo]], [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea, Empire of Japan]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1989|4|21|1912|5|25|df=yes}}
| death_place  = Sugang Hall, [[Changdeokgung|Changdeok Palace]], Seoul, South Korea
| spouse       = {{marriage|Count [[Sō Takeyuki]]<br />|1931|1955|reason=div.}}
| issue        = 
| father       = [[Gojong of Korea]]
| mother       = [[Imperial Consort Boknyeong Gwi-in]]
| place of burial = Hongryureung, [[Namyangju]], [[Gyeonggi Province]], South Korea
| module       = {{Infobox Korean name
|hangul         =덕혜옹주
|hanja          ={{linktext|德|惠|翁|主}}<ref name=":1"/>
|rr             =Deokhye Ongju
|mr             =Tŏkhye Ongju
|hangulborn = 이덕혜
|hanjaborn = 李德惠
|rrborn = Yi Deokhye
|mrborn = Yi Dŏkhye
|child=yes}}
}}
'''Princess Deokhye of Korea''' ({{Korean|hangul=덕혜옹주|rr=Deokhye-ongju}}; [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 徳恵姫, ''Tokue-hime''; 25 May 1912{{spaced ndash}}21 April 1989) was the last princess of the [[Korean Empire|Korean royal family]].

She was born on 25 May 1912, at [[Changdeokgung|Changdeok Palace]], in [[Seoul]], as the youngest daughter of [[Gojong of the Korean Empire|Emperor Gojong]] from his [[concubine]], then known as Yang Gwi-in. After her birth, [[Gojong of Korea|Gojong]] bestowed the royal title ''Boknyeong'' on Lady Yang.<ref name="word">{{cite web|url=http://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000878236|title=덕혜옹주(Deokhye Ongju)|publisher=Doosan Corporation|accessdate=3 March 2016}}</ref>

Deokhye was not formally recognized as a princess by Japan because she was not the daughter of a Queen. In 1917, she was officially recognized as a princess by the Japanese government and also her name was formally entered into the imperial family's registry. Her father loved her greatly and established the [[Deoksugung]] Kindergarten for her in Junmyungdang ({{Korean|hangul=준명당|labels=no}}),<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000878236|title=덕혜옹주|website=[[Doopedia]]|access-date=10 March 2016}}</ref> Hamnyeong Hall. Girls her age from noble families attended the kindergarten.

In South Korea, she is called ''Deokhye Ongju'', not ''Gongju''. Gongju refers to the daughters of the Queen, and Ongju refers to the daughters of concubines.

==Birth and early life==
'''Yi Deokhye''' was born as the daughter of [[Imperial Consort Gwiin Yang|Yang Gwiin]] (later Lady Boknyeong) and the then-60-year-old [[Gojong of the Korean Empire|Emperor Emeritus Gojong]] on 25 May 1912, nearly two years after the [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese annexation of Korea]]. Immediately after birth, she was called Agi (아기, 阿只, meaning "baby") and then named Deokhye. Her mother was a low-ranking [[court lady]] working in the kitchen of [[Deoksugung]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Shinjō|first=Michihiko|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/905837081|title=Chōsen Ō-Kōzoku : Teikoku Nihon no junkōzoku|last2=新城道彦|date=2015|isbn=978-4-12-102309-4|edition=Saihan|location=Tōkyō|pages=107|oclc=905837081}}</ref>

Gojong had 16 children with his 10 wives, but Deokhye was his first daughter; his four other daughters were not counted as they all died under the age of one. Gojong was delighted with the birth of his first daughter and raised her with meticulous love. In 1916, he established the Deoksugung Kindergarten dedicated to her, where Deokhye would attend.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="kbs2020">{{Cite news|date=30 May 2020|title=徳恵翁主を紹介する林間博物館|publisher=KBS WORLD|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/program_segments_view.htm?lang=j&procode=one&bbs=nphistory&no=35530|accessdate=13 June 2021}}</ref> However, apart from her father, because she didn't have an official title, she was ignored and treated like she did not exist. Later, she was nicknamed "Boknyeong-dang".

In 1917, her father persuaded [[Terauchi Masatake]], the then-ruling [[Governor-General of Chōsen|Governor-General of Korea]], to enter her name into the registry of the imperial family, offering her legitimacy and granting her the title of princess.

In 1919, Emperor Gojong planned a secret engagement between Princess Deokhye and Kim Jang-han, the nephew of Kim Hwang-jin, a court chamberlain. He had sought to protect his daughter through it, but the engagement failed due to Japan's intervention and Kim Hwang-jin was not permitted to enter [[Deoksugung|Deoksu Palace]] again. Emperor Gojong died suddenly on 21 January 1919.

In 1921, Princess Deokhye started going to Hinodae Elementary School, in Seoul.

==Life in Japan and arranged marriage==
[[image:Princess dukhye and takeyuki so, 1931.JPG|thumb|220px|Sō Takeyuki and Deokhye (1931)]]
In 1925, the Princess was taken to [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] under the pretense of continuing her studies. Like her brothers, she attended the [[Gakushuin]], where [[Yukika Sohma]] was among her schoolmates. In Japan she was known as Princess Tokue (徳恵姫, ''Tokue-hime''). According to Yukika, she was untalkative and struggled with exercising.<ref name=":0" />

Upon the news of her mother's death in 1929, Deokhye was finally given permission to visit Korea temporarily, in order to attend the funeral. However, she was not allowed to wear the proper clothing.

By the spring of 1930, the Princess' mental health conditions deteriorated due to her hardships for years.  Upon the onset of a psychological condition (manifested by [[sleepwalking]]), she moved to King Yi's Palace, the [[Tokyo]] house of her brother, [[Yi Un|Crown Prince Eun]]. During this period, she often forgot to eat and drink. Her physician diagnosed her illness as [[Dementia praecox|precocious dementia]] (today called [[schizophrenia]]),<ref name=":0" /> but by the following year, her condition seemed to have improved. This may be attributed to her traumatic experiences of forced separation from her family and significant duress she experienced under the colonial government.

In May 1931, the Princess was forced to enter an unwanted marry set-up by [[Empress Teimei]], the consort of [[Emperor Taishō|Emperor Taishō of Japan]].  The man who willingly chose to marry her was  [[Sō Takeyuki|Count Sō Takeyuki]] (武志; 1908–1985), a Japanese aristocrat.<ref name="koreanT">{{cite web|last=Chung|first=Ah-young|title=Life of Joseons Last Princess Revisited|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2011/02/135_61101.html|work=[[The Korea Times]]|date=19 February 2010|access-date=19 November 2012}}</ref> The marriage had in fact been decided in 1930.  Her brother had protested against it, and it had been postponed because of her condition, but when she recovered, she was immediately given instructions that the wedding was to take place.

She gave birth to a daughter, Masae ({{lang|ja|正惠}}), or Jeonghye ({{Korean|labels=no|hangul=정혜}})<ref name=":1"/> in Korea, on 14 August 1932. In 1933, Deokhye was again experiencing mental illness, and after this, she spent many years in various mental health clinics.

With the defeat of Japan in [[World War II]], Korea once again became independent and her husband lost his noble title, as the Japanese [[kazoku|peerage]] was abolished.

Her daughter, Masae, graduated from [[Waseda University]]'s Department of Literature and met Suzuki Noboru, whom she married in 1955. Her son-in-law would eventually take on her husband's last name as the heir to the family.

In 1955, Takeyuki eventually divorced the Princess and later remarried to a Japanese woman named Yoshie Katsumura with whom he had three children.

Having suffered an unhappy marriage, Deokhye's grief was compounded by the loss of her only daughter, who disappeared on 26 August 1956 in [[Yamanashi-ken]], reportedly committing suicide due to the stress of her parents' divorce. Her daughter's suicide note was found in the mountains. As a result, Deokhye's condition deteriorated at a slow yet considerable pace.

==Return to Korea and Death==
She returned to Korea at the invitation of the South Korean government on 26 January 1962, after 37 years.<ref name=asiaone>{{cite web|title=Late Joseon Princess Deokhye's life revealed|url=http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20100809-231193.html|publisher=asiaone.com|accessdate=19 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029033818/http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20100809-231193.html|archive-date=29 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> At first, the South Korean government refused to allow the return of the last royal bloodline, because President [[Syngman Rhee|Rhee Syng-man]] wanted to avoid political chaos.<ref name=":1"/> However, reporter Kim Eul-han found the princess and persuaded the government to allow her return.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} She cried while approaching her motherland, and despite her mental state, accurately remembered the complex royal court etiquette and protocol.

The princess reunited with her kindergarten and elementary school classmate, Min Yong-ah ({{Korean|hangul=민용아|hanja=閔龍兒|labels=no}}), and her 72-year-old wet nurse, Byeon Bok-dong ({{Korean|hangul=변복동|hanja=卞福童|labels=no}}; 1890–?), when they went to pick her up at [[Gimpo International Airport|Gimpo Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 April 2015 |title=Royal Ladies of Joseon Dynasty |url=https://thetalkingcupboard.com/joseon/royal-ladies-of-joseon-dynasty/ |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=the talking cupboard |language=en}}</ref> After meeting her sister-in-law, [[Empress Sunjeonghyo]], the second wife of her older half-brother [[Sunjong of Korea|Emperor Sunjong]], she was admitted to [[Seoul National University Hospital]] later that day for surgery to remove a polyp in the uterus.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 April 2015 |title=Royal Ladies of Joseon Dynasty |url=https://thetalkingcupboard.com/joseon/royal-ladies-of-joseon-dynasty/ |access-date=25 October 2022 |website=the talking cupboard |language=en}}</ref>

Despite being born in Korea, the princess was able to restore her Korean citizenship and finalized her name, Yi Deok-hye, on 8 February 1962, and was soon discharged from the hospital as her condition was proven stable on 4 May 1964. In the fall of 1968, she lived in Nakseon Hall, [[Changdeokgung|Changdeok Palace]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/History/view?articleId=128018|title=Princess' belongings to return to Korea|website=[[Korea.net]]|access-date=10 March 2016}}</ref> with [[Yi Un|Prince Uimin]] and [[Yi Bangja|Princess Masako]], their son [[Yi Ku|Prince Gu]], his wife [[Julia Mullock]], and Mrs. Byeon Bok-dong.

Sometime before her death, around ten years before, her ex-husband flew from Japan to South Korea to visit her and see how she was doing, but this visit was rejected by her family.

He begged Yi Gong-jae, a member of the family, to let him meet his ex-wife. But Yi said, "I can't forgive him for having an unwanted arranged marriage with King Gojong's daughter [a marriage that the head of the family or parental authority orders regardless of the person's will for their own benefit or purpose], eventually putting the princess in a psychiatric hospital and getting a divorce. The princess doesn't even have anything to talk about meeting him, and there's no reason for him to meet. If she met you, she would think of the past and make her condition worse. So, people like you are not allowed to visit at all, so please go back”.

Her last years were filled with visits to different hospitals, but on 24 May 1983, she was admitted and stayed temporarily at [[Hallym University]] Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital due to her old age.

On 21 April 1989, the princess died at Sugang Hall, [[Changdeokgung|Changdeok Palace]], and was buried at Hongryureung in [[Namyangju]]. Her burial site is near where her father, [[Gojong of Korea|Emperor Gojong]], and older half-brother, Emperor Sunjong, are buried.

== Family ==
* Father
** [[Gojong of Korea|Emperor Gojong of Korea]] ({{Korean|hangul=대한제국 고종|labels=no}}; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919)
*** Grandmother - [[Sunmok Budaebuin|Grand Internal Princess Consort Sunmok]] of the [[Yeoheung Min clan]] ({{Korean|hangul=순목부대부인 민씨|labels=no}}; 3 February 1818 – 8 January 1898)
*** Grandfather - [[Heungseon Daewongun|Yi Ha-eung, Grand Internal Prince Heungseon]] ({{Korean|hangul=이하응 흥선대원군|labels=no}}; 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898)
* Mother
** [[Imperial Consort Boknyeong Gwi-in|Yang Chun-gi, Imperial Consort Boknyeong Gwi-in of the Cheongju Yang clan]] ({{Korean|hangul=양춘기 복녕당 귀인 양씨|labels=no}}; 27 September 1882 – 30 May 1929)
*** Grandfather - Yang Eon-hwan ({{Korean|hangul=양언환|hanja=梁彦煥|labels=no}})
* Husband
** [[Sō Takeyuki|Count Sō Takeyuki]] (宗武志 16 February 1908 – 22 April 1985)
*** Father-in-law - Sō Yoriyuki (宗和志) later, [[Kuroda Yoriyuki]] (黒田和志; 8 September 1851 – 21 January 1917)
*** Mother-in-law - Kuroda Reiko (黒 鏻子; 1857–1925)
* Daughter
** Countess Sō Masae (宗正惠), or So Jeong-hye ({{Korean|hangul=소정혜|labels=no}}; 14 August 1932 – 26 August 1956)
*** Son-in-law: Sō Noboru (5 September 1931–?) (宗昇)<ref>His last name was Suzuki (鈴木) before becoming Sō (宗){{citation needed|date=December 2021}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
===Film and television===
* Portrayed by [[Son Ye-jin]] in the 2016 film ''[[The Last Princess (film)|The Last Princess]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title='The Last Princess' wraps up filming|author=Ahn Sung-mi|work=[[Kpop Herald]]|date=28 March 2016|accessdate=13 April 2016|url=http://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201603281547140308901_2 }}</ref>

===Literature===
* A biography of Princess Deokhye was published by Japanese author Yasuko Honma (本馬恭子) and was subsequently translated into Korean by Hoon Lee and published in 1996.
* The best-selling novel ''Princess Deokhye'' by Kwon Bi-young was published in 2009.

===Music===
* Singer Ho Shim-nam created a 1963 song based upon the life of Princess Deokhye.
* Korean singer Heo Jinsul's 2010 song "The Rose of Tears" ({{Korean|눈물꽃||Nun Mul Kkot}}) is based upon the life of Princess Deokhye, and was recorded in both English and Korean.

===Theater===
* In 1995, a play based upon Princess Deokhye was held at the [[Seoul Art Center]].
* The 2013 Korean musical ''Deokhye, the Last Princess'' ({{Korean|덕혜옹주||Deokhye Ongju}}) is based upon her life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/archive/program/program_trendkorea.htm?no=10025082|title=Musical "Deokhye, The Last Princess"|access-date=10 March 2016|date=27 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Lim Jeong-yeo|title=Crayon Pop's Choa takes lead role in musical|url=http://www.kpopherald.com/view.php?ud=201503021621473140364_2|accessdate=12 March 2016|work=[[K-Pop Herald]]|date=2 March 2015}}</ref>

==Ancestors==

{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
| 1 = '''Princess Deokhye of Korea'''
| 2 = [[Gojong of Korea|Emperor Gojong]]
| 3 = Royal Consort Boknyeong Gwi-in of the Cheongju Yang clan
| 4 = [[Heungseon Daewongun|Grand Internal Prince Heungseon]]
| 5 = Grand Internal Princess Sunmok of the Yeoheung Min clan
| 6 =Yang Eon-hwan
| 7 =
| 8 = Prince Namyeon
| 9 =Princess Consort Min of the Yeoheung Min clan
|10 =Min Chi-gu
|11 =Lady Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan
|12 =
|13 =
|14 =
|15 =
|16 = Yi Byeong-won
|17 =Lady Jeong
|18 =Min Gyeong-hyeok
|19 =Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan
|20 =Min Dan-hyeon
|21 =Lady Park of the Miryang Park clan
|22 =Yi Ok
|23 =Lady Kim of the Andong Kim clan
|24 =
|25 =
|26 =
|27 =
|28 =
|29 =
}}

==See also==
*[[History of Korea]]
*[[Rulers of Korea]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deokhye, Princess of Korea}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:Princesses of Joseon]]
[[Category:House of Yi]]
[[Category:Gakushuin University alumni]]
[[Category:People with schizophrenia]]
[[Category:Royalty and nobility with disabilities]]
[[Category:Daughters of emperors]]
[[Category:People from Seoul]]