Portrait of Heungseon Daewongun

Heungseon Daewongun

Korean regent

Lived
1821–1898
Country
Joseon

Updated September 2026

About Heungseon Daewongun

Heungseon Daewongun was the title of Yi Ha-eung, the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s. Until his death, he was a key political figure of late Joseon Korea. He was known simply as the Daewongun, Guktaegong, or later Grand Internal Prince Imperial Heonui ; he was also known to contemporary western diplomats as Prince Gung.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.