Hungsn Taewn'gun (1820-1898) was a Korean imperial regent and the father of king Kojong. Even after the personal rule by Kojong was inaugurated, Taewn'gun was one of the most powerful figures in the last decades of the Yi dynasty.

Hungsn Taewn'gun was born Yi Ha-ung and became Prince Hungsn at the age of 20. Although he was a member of the royal family, he had not become king and had spent his early years in the gay quarters of the capital's lower-class people. When King Ch'ljong died without an heir apparent, Hungsn Taewn'gun managed to place his 12-year-old son on the throne, and he became the imperial regent, or the de facto ruler under the circumstances.

Imperial Regent

Taewn'gun built up his own political power by balancing one faction against another in the swirling party politics of the decaying dynasty and took advantage of his position to establish a...