The Last Princess

Ye-jin Son,Hae-il Park

"The Last Princess" is both a drama and an action film that is based upon the life of Princess Deok-hye (1912-1989) who was born into Korea's last royal family in 1912 as the youngest and only daughter of the last King of Jo-seon, ex-Emperor Gojong and his concubine Yang Gui-in. In truth, her sad and tragic life was shaped at the highest levels of the Japanese Imperial family and its government, and carried out by their Korean collaborators - a path that led to Japanese political ends at the expense of her personal happiness. Two years before her birth, the Japanese Imperial Army surrounded Gwang-bok-gong Palace with artillery batteries with orders to shoot while Japanese officials inside the Palace coerced Emperor Su-jong's (King Go-jong's son) cabinet to approve Korea's annexation to the Japan Empire. After her beloved father suddenly died from poisoning in 1919 - allegedly by the occupying Japanese - the Japanese forced Princess Deokye to leave Korea and her family for an education in Japan - a move that started an endless spiral of disappointment, unfulfilled hopes and dreams, and profound sadness until she was able to return to Korea thirty-seven years later in 1962. The fictionalized portion, based upon Kwon Bi-young's 2009 novel, is seamlessly woven into the film and includes several fictional characters whose roles add to the drama, tears, action and excitement. Princess Deokhye lived out the rest of her years at Chang-deok Palace until she passed away in 1989. She is buried at Hong-ryu-reung outside of Seoul.—Dr. Andrew HN Kim, USMA '72