Prince Sunhwa (; 1580 â 18th day, 3rd month of 1607), personal name Yi Po (), was a Korean prince, as the sixth son of King Seonjo, and his concubine, of the Gimhae Kim clan.
During the Imjin War, Prince Sunhwa was dispatched to Kangwà Ân Province as part of the royal court's efforts to mobilize local forces. At the age of thirteen, he traveled with an official entourage that included Hwang Chà Ânguk, Hwang Hyà Âk, and Yi Ki. He later proceeded northward into Hamgyà Âng Province, where he joined Prince Imhae.
In the same year, both princes were captured during a local uprising and subsequently handed over to Japanese forces; their captivity later became an issue in diplomatic negotiations. Prince Sunhwa remained in captivity until 1593, when he was released in the course of peace discussions between Ming China and Japan. He returned to the Joseon court later that year.
In the years following his repatriation, he was repeatedly accused of serious criminal acts, including homicide and sexual offenses, as recorded in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty. These incidents led to his exile, confinement, and the formal revocation of his princely title in 1601. Prince Sunhwa died in 1607. After his death, his title was restored, and he was posthumously honored with the name HÃ Âimin. His tomb was established in Namyangju.
Prince Sunhwa was born in 1580. He was the sixth son of King Seonjo (r. 1567âÂÂ1608), the 14th monarch of the Joseon dynasty. His mother was of the Gimhae Kim clan, and he was her only child. According to the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, King Seonjo characterized Prince Sunhwa as having exhibited a cruel disposition from an early age, recording that he took pleasure in killing birds and animals.
Prince Sunhwa married a daughter of Hwang Hyà Âk of the Jangsu Hwang clan and had one daughter by his principal wife. He also had two daughters by concubines.
The Imjin War broke out on the 13th day of the 4th month of 1592, and news of the war reached the court on the 17th day of the same month. King Seonjo dispatched Yi Il and appointed Sin Rip as Supreme Inspector () of the Three Provinces. However, after Yi Il reported the enemy's numerical superiority on the 21st day of the 4th month, the king summoned the princesâÂÂincluding Prince SunhwaâÂÂand members of the royal family into the palace and began preparations for flight. When news arrived on the 27th day that Yi Il had been defeated, followed on the 28th day by reports of Sin Rip's defeat at Chungju, King Seonjo made the final decision to abandon the capital.
In conjunction with the royal flight, King Seonjo dispatched two princes to different regions to recruit loyalist forces: Prince Imhae was sent to Hamgyà Âng Province, and Prince Sunhwa to Kangwà Ân Province. At the time, Prince Sunhwa was thirteen years old. Regarding the background to this decision, historian Shin Myung-Ho has suggested that King Seonjo's personal affections may have influenced the deployment of the princes. Specifically, he argues that the king favored Royal Noble Consort In of the and her son , retaining them near the royal entourage, whereas Prince Sunhwa, who is described as having enjoyed comparatively less favor, was dispatched to Kangwà Ân Province.
On the 29th day of the 4th month of 1592, Han Chun () and Yi Ki () were initially selected to escort Prince Sunhwa. However, on the following day, according to the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Hwang Hyà ÂkâÂÂPrince Sunhwa's father-in-lawâÂÂand his father Hwang Chà Ânguk offered to accompany the prince. Consequently, Hwang Chà Ânguk was appointed Recruitment Commissioner (), and Hwang Hyà Âk was appointed Military Protector () to accompany Prince Sunhwa, while Han Chun was ordered to return. Prince Sunhwa departed for Kangwà Ân Province at dawn on the 30th day of the 4th month together with Hwang Chà Ânguk, Hwang Hyà Âk, Yi Ki, and others.
The prince's entourage passed through Yangju, crossed Ch'uksà Ângnyà Âng Pass (), and reached Chorwon, recruiting loyalist forces throughout the Kangwà Ân region. After receiving reports that Japanese forces had entered Kangwà Ân Province, they altered their route northward, passing through Hoeyang, Ch'ujiryà Âng Pass (), and T'ongch'à Ân before arriving at Anbyà Ân in Hamgyà Âng Province, where they joined the entourage of Prince Imhae. Meanwhile, Katà  Kiyomasa occupied Hamhà Âng on the 24th day of the 6th month of 1592 and, upon learning from local inhabitants that the two princes were moving northward, began to pursue them. When Katà Â's forces crossed Mach'à Âllyà Âng Pass () on the 18th day of the 7th month, the entourages of Prince Sunhwa and Prince Imhae moved toward Kyà Ângsà Âng. After learning of Han Kà Âkham's defeat at the , they took refuge in Hoeryà Âng.
While remaining in Hamgyà Âng Province, Prince Sunhwa, together with Prince Imhae, mobilized their retainers to requisition goods from private households, actions that reportedly caused resentment among the local population. On the 23rd day of the 7th month of 1592, Kuk Kyà Ângin launched a rebellion at Hoeryà Âng, surrounding the guesthouse and taking Prince Sunhwa and Prince Imhae captive, along with Joseon officials and their families, including Kim Kwiyà Âng, Hwang Chà Ânguk, Hwang Hyà Âk, and Yi Yà Âng (). On the following day, the captured princes and their entourage were handed over to Katà  Kiyomasa upon his arrival at Hoeryà Âng and were subsequently confined in earthen caves in the Anbyà Ân area.
As news of the princes' capture reached the Joseon court, the repatriation of Prince Sunhwa and Prince Imhae became a significant issue in the MingâÂÂJapanese peace negotiations. On the 5th day of the 2nd month of 1593, a Ming delegation led by Feng Zhongying () demanded, in conjunction with the Japanese withdrawal from Hamgyà Âng Province, the return of the captured princes, including Prince Sunhwa. Katà  Kiyomasa, however, refused this demand and insisted that further discussions be conducted in Hansà Âng. Thereafter, on the 29th day of the same month, Katà  transported the princes and their entourage to Hansà Âng.
In the 4th month of that year, following the Yongsan talks between and Konishi Yukinaga, the Japanese forces began withdrawing from Hansà Âng. In this process, Toyotomi Hideyoshi permitted the repatriation of Prince Sunhwa and Prince Imhae as one of the conditions for peace. Katà  Kiyomasa did not comply with this order and attempted to transfer the princes to Japan. Beginning on the 28th day of the 4th month, Katà  led Prince Sunhwa and his entourage southward.
On the 15th day of the 5th month of 1593, at a meeting held in Nagoya between a Ming envoy delegation and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi presented peace terms that included the repatriation of Prince Sunhwa and Prince Imhae by the 28th day of the 6th month, and ordered Katà  to hand the princes over to Shen Weijing. Accordingly, Prince Sunhwa and Prince Imhae were released on the 22nd day of the 7th month and arrived in Hansà Âng on the 6th day of the 8th month of the same year.
Prince Sunhwa was impeached by the Office of the Inspector-General and the Office of the Censor-General on charges that included murder, assault, and plunder. According to the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, in the 3rd month of 1599 Prince Sunhwa killed a neighboring resident, and in the 7th month of 1600 he raped one of his mother's female servants at a mourning hut beside the royal coffin hall. In response, King Seonjo ordered Prince Sunhwa into exile at Suwon, while the female servant involved in the case was subjected to two rounds of corporal interrogation by the Royal Treasury () and subsequently exiled to a remote island.
Prince Sunhwa continued to be implicated in acts of murder and violence while in exile at Suwon. Consequently, on the 8th day of the 10th month of 1600, King Seonjo ordered stricter supervision of Prince Sunhwa's conduct, and two days later transferred him to Hansà Âng, where he was placed under house arrest. In 1601, his princely title was formally revoked. In the 5th month of 1604, Prince Sunhwa committed another act of murder and was confined to the residence of Yi Sujun (), Chief Director () at the Office of the Royal Stables () on the 3rd day, 10th month of 1604. Even after suffering a stroke, he caused further controversy in 1606 by ordering his servants to bind and beat his maternal uncle, the younger brother of Royal Noble Consort Sun of the Gimhae Kim clan, for which he was again censured.
Prince Sunhwa died on the 18th day of the 3rd month of 1607, at the age of 28. The court historiographer of the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty recorded in his obituary that Prince Sunhwa had "killed more than ten people each year." After his death, his princely title was restored, and he was posthumously reinstated as Prince Sunhwa; his tomb was established in Namyangju. On the 3rd day of the 3rd month of 1778, he was posthumously granted the honorific title 'HÃ Âimin' ().