of succession and Yi Won was considered; after meeting Yi Won several times, he was satisfied about the foreign language abilities of his cousin and allowed Won to be his successor. As of July 10, 2005, less than a week before his death, Yi Ku met the chairman of the association, Lee Hwan-ey (이환의, 李桓儀), for the last time, and Yi Ku formerly signed to adopt Yi Won as his heir. Despite that Yi Ku died soon afterwards, the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association held a meeting for the adoption legitimacy in July 21, and in the next day, July 22, 2005, Yi Won was officially recognized by the association to be the successor of late Yi Ku. References External links Korean royalty Death announcement in Korea Times Farewell to royal heir evokes memories of Korea's past obituary in the English edition of Dong-A Ilbo 1929 births 2005 deaths Centre College alumni MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni House of Yi American architects Japanese emigrants to the United States American people of Korean descent South Korean people of Japanese descent South Korean Roman Catholics Pretenders to the Korean throne Zainichi Korean people People from Tokyo Korean anti-communists