Thousands attend funeral of Korean royalty

Thousands of mourners in black suits and traditional white robes attended the funeral of the last direct heir to Korea's throne on Sunday.

Yi Ku, the son of Korea's last crown prince, died alone of a heart attack at the age of 73 in his hotel room in Japan on Saturday, where he lived for most of his life.

His body was discovered on Monday.

Yi was buried in the royal burial grounds east of Seoul, alongside his parents and his brother, who died as an infant.

Yi was part of the dynasty that ruled Korea from 1392 until 1910. Japan forced Yi's grandfather from power in 1907 and annexed Korea in 1910.

After Korea's liberation at the end of World War II in 1945, the royal family was not immediately allowed to return for fear it would meddle with the new government.

"May he join his parents in enjoying all the happiness that he did not enjoy in this life," said Korea's Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, a relative of Yi, at the funeral.

Yi was born in Tokyo in 1931 to Yi Un, the Chosun Dynasty's last crown prince, and Princess Yi Bang-ja, a Japanese royal family member.

Four members of the Japanese royal family attended the funeral, including Takano Nashimoto, a relative of Yi's mother, the South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.