[1] Yi's mother was a concubine; his family line goes back to Grand Prince Gwang-pyeong, who was 5th son of Sejong the Great.

[1] Two years later, he returned to Korea, and led Gojong's internal exile to the Russian legation with other pro-Russian politicians.

When Russian envoy to Korea Nikolai G. Matiunine attempted to prolong logging rights, Yi showed his opposition to the contract.

Furthermore, when Russian forces seized Yong-am Po, Yi opposed the seizure to protect Korean sovereignty.

[8] He rather obeyed the order of the Emperor, which decreed him to ignore Japanese pressure to return to Korea and stay at Russia.

[9] The Russian government gave Yi 7,325 Ruble every three months as a message of opposing Japanese tyranny in Korea.

[7] However, as the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 was signed, his authority as a Korean minister in Russia forfeited, thus starting a grey-wave political refuge.

[7] After the failure of the Hague Secret Emissary Affair, Yi shifted his attention to the Korean society in Primorsky Krai.

Ouitjyong's father-in-law Karl Joseph Stainslaw Freiherr von Nolcken, who was a Russian governor of Tomsk, accompanied him, encouraging even greater resistance of the Korean society in Russia.

Recognizing short term resistance would become vain, Yi underscored beneficiaries to use his legacy for educating the younger generation.