Lee (Korean surname)

The spelling formally changed to I (이) in 1933 when the initial sound rule (두음 법칙) was established.

In North Korea, it is romanized as Ri (리) because there is no distinction between the alveolar liquids /l/ and /r/ in modern Korean.

However, the NIKL still hoped to promote systemic transcriptions for use in passports, and thus recommended that people who bore this surname should spell it Yi in the Roman alphabet.

[3][4] However, the majority of South Koreans with this surname continue to spell it as Lee, because conditions for changing passport names are strict.

The House of Yi ruled the country for 518 years (between 1392 and 1910) and established many of the cultural, artistic and linguistic foundations for modern-day Korea.

During its reign, the House of Yi consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea, which encouraged the entrenchment of Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and promoted classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology.

The founder of the Gyeongju clan was Yi Al-pyeong (李謁平), one of the village headmen who chose Park Hyeokgeose as the first King of Silla.

According to the Samguk Sagi, the Yi name was officially bestowed on the family by King Yuri around 9 CE.

[8] The Jinwi Lee clan is based on the old names of Jinwi-gun, the current Gyeonggi Province, Pyeongtaek-si, and Jinwi-myeon.

The Jinwi Lee clan involved in political education for the royal family and served as an adviser to the king and teacher to the crown prince for generations of Goryeo Dynasty.

Lee Bang, who served as an adviser to the king and a teacher to the crown prince in the early Goryeo Dynasty, is the founder.

The founder of the Pyeongchang clan was Yi Gwang, an official and military commander during the Joseon Dynasty.