Deposed Crown Prince Yi Ji

The future Crown Prince was born on 31 December 1598 as the second son (formally as oldest son because his older brother died suddenly after birth) of the then Crown Prince Gwanghae and Crown Princess Munseong of the Munhwa Yu clan. Then, on 2 February 1608, he was appointed as an Heir Successor to the throne or Prince Royal (원자, 元子), then, on 21 March in the same year, he was promoted and become a Crown Prince (왕세자, 王世子).

On 4 May, there was a selection to be his primary wife, the Crown Princess Consort (세자빈 간택). Then, the chosen was reported on 27 July 1611 and Park Ja-heung's 13-year-old daughter, Lady Park, became the crown princess consort.[3] On 2 August, they were married. From this marriage, a daughter was born in the summer of 1614, but died that same year in the winter.

With an unnamed concubine, Yi Jil had a second daughter, Yi Ah-gi (이아기, 李娥其), in 1618 who was the only surviving child of the crown prince.

Then when he was 21 years old on 13 May 1618, he was looking a woman to be So-hun (rank junior 5 for Crown Prince's concubine; 소훈, 昭訓) and the chosen was Heo Gyun's daughter and Heo Nanseolheon’s niece, Lady Heo.[4] There was no issue within the relationship.

Later, on 14 March 1623, when he was 25 years old, Yi ji was deposed from his position as Crown Prince,[5] along with his family and his wife, and was exiled to Ganghwa Island on 23 March. While in exile, the deposed couple fasted or tried to commit suicide by hanging themselves, but failed. In the end, about two months later in April (May of the lunar calendar), Yi Ji was digging a tunnel to escape.

When his wife and him tried to escape the island, they were caught by the royal soldiers. His wife committed suicide in June 1623 (lunar calendar May) the third day after her husband was arrested. Then on 22 July, a month after his late wife’s death (in Lunar calendar was 25 June), he died from hunger.[6]