MEET THE CURRENT HEREDITARY PRINCE OF KOREA, PRINCE YI SEOK.

NEXT GOAL WHEN I COME BACK TO KOREA THIS WINTER:
MEET THE CURRENT HEREDITARY PRINCE OF KOREA, PRINCE YI SEOK.

He now lives in a Traditional Village in Jeonju, South Korea. I'll go there for sure next time I come to Korea THIS WINTER!

My message to Prince Yi Seok, your Highness, please GET READY, I shall be disturbing thy Highness' peace, with your benevolence and grace kindly prepare thy answers for I shall have a looooooooooot of queries. Your humble visitor will surely bring presents as a sign of my gratitude. Your Highness shall GRANT AN AUDIENCE WITH ME, OR ELSE.... I WILL BE SAD...

On the Photo: PRINCE YI SEOK of KOREA, GRANDSON OF EMPEROR GOJONG, THE LAST EMPEROR OF KOREA (*Monarchy was abolished after the world war, therefore the current prince is only Prince through Symbolism and not recognized by the Current Government of South Korea)

Journal: Seriously Speaking, How my life revolves as "KoPinoy"

Tracing back my roots, it has been said by our senior relatives on my Paternal side that my great-great grand father is a Korean. Perhaps this is one reason that I while I am a Filipino Citizen, I am also "Korean by heart" taking the fact that I have that little tinge of Korean blood in me, though I did not grow up in Korea. Incidentally, my life revolves with Koreans now, here in the Philippines and back there in Korea.

I literally shed tears when I first saw the Grand Palace where the Kings of Korea held power for almost 600 years! I couldn't describe what I felt but I'm sure that that was a mixture of happiness and a strange sense of Patriotism! Well it's nearly the feeling of being deeply touched and inspired by a story of a National Hero and suddenly a National song is played and the setting is the Country just survived a catastrophe, yeah, that sense of relief! I visited most museums in Korea and took copious notes about the Historical facts.

Perhaps I felt a sense of "going back to the roots" I felt like I was "home" when I came and first visited South, Korea almost 6 years ago. My heart was telling me something, "I AM IN KOREA." I never dreamed of being in Korea on the first place, but fate made me easily come there and live my current life surrounded by everything Korean although notably, I have never been a fan of KPOP. I am indeed however, a fan of the History, Culture and Traditions of Korea.

Now supplement my love of History and Nationalism, I found out that there are living descendants of the late Joseon Dynasty, and one for sure is PRINCE YI SEOK who after his grand father, EMPEROR GOJONG was deposed by the Japanese Government had to live a life of a commoner, and had to work all the dirty jobs to make ends meet and finally flee to U.S. later on. He was a war veteran as well who served the U.S. in the Vietnam war! When he was able to save enough money, he came back to Korea where he is now a professor of History in Jeonju University.

Now it's my time to pay homage to a living symbol of History and Continuity, a living person who in his veins the blood of the great Kings of Korea flows!

Photo attribute: nytimes