1. Princess Deokhye was born on 25 May 1912, at Changdeok Palace, in Seoul, as the youngest daughter of Emperor Gojong from his concubine, then known as Yang Gwi-in.
16 Facts About Princess Deokhye
1. 2.
Princess Deokhye's father loved her greatly and established the Deoksugung Kindergarten for her in Junmyungdang, Hamnyeong Hall.
3.
Yi Princess Deokhye was born as the daughter of Yang Gwiin and the then-60-year-old Emperor Emeritus Gojong on 25 May 1912, nearly two years after the Japanese annexation of Korea.
4.
Princess Deokhye's mother was a low-ranking court lady working in the kitchen of Deoksugung.
5.
Gojong had 16 children with his 10 wives, but Princess Deokhye was his first daughter; his four other daughters were not counted as they all died under the age of one.
6.
Princess Deokhye 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 Deoksu Palace again.
7.
In 1921, Princess Deokhye started going to Hinodae Elementary School, in Seoul.
8.
In 1925, the Princess Deokhye was taken to Japan under the pretense of continuing her studies.
9.
Princess Deokhye's physician diagnosed her illness as precocious dementia, but by the following year, her condition seemed to have improved.
10.
In May 1931, after "matchmaking" by Empress Teimei, the consort of Emperor Taisho of Japan, Princess Deokhye married Count So Takeyuki, a Japanese aristocrat.
11.
Princess Deokhye's 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.
12.
Princess Deokhye gave birth to a daughter, Masae, or Jeonghye in Korea, on 14 August 1932.
13.
In 1933, Princess Deokhye was again experiencing mental illness, and after this, she spent many years in various mental health clinics.
14.
Princess Deokhye returned to Korea at the invitation of the South Korean government on 26 January 1962, after 37 years.
15.
Princess Deokhye cried while approaching her motherland, and despite her mental state, accurately remembered the complex royal court etiquette and protocol.
16.
Princess Deokhye begged Yi Gong-jae, a member of the family, to let him meet his ex-wife.