Yi was a prominent government minister at the time of
Eulsa Treaty of 1905, and was the most outspoken supporter of the pact which made the
Korean Empire a
protectorate of the
Empire of Japan, thus stripping it of its diplomatic sovereignty. Initially, all of the ministers were against signing the treaty. However, under threat of execution, five of the ministers signed the treaty. Yi was among the first to change his stance. The treaty was signed in defiance of Korean
Emperor Gojong, and Yi is thus accounted to be the chief of five ministers (including
Pak Che-soon, Yi Chiyong,
Yi Geun-taek,
Gwon Jung-hyeon) who were later denounced as the "
Five Eulsa Thieves" in Korea. Under Japanese
Resident-General Itō Hirobumi, Yi was promoted to the post of prime minister from 1906 to 1910. Yi was instrumental in forcing Emperor Gojong to abdicate in 1907, after Emperor Gojong tried to publicly denounce the Eulsa Treaty at the
second international Hague Peace Convention. In 1907 Yi was also chief amongst the seven ministers who supported the
Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907, which further placed the domestic affairs of Korea under Japan's control, thus completing the colonisation of Korea by Japan. Yi is therefore also listed in Korea amongst the Seven Jeongmi Traitors.
Assassination attempt In 1909, he was seriously injured in an assassination attempt by the "Five Eulsa Traitors Assassination Group". The incident happened on 22 December 1909, when he and other targeted officials were attending a memorial service in Jong-hyeon Catholic Church (present-day
Myeongdong Cathedral) for the recently deceased
King Leopold II of Belgium. The assassin, Lee Jae-myeong (이재명; 李在明, 1887–1910) caught wind and disguised himself as a
chestnut vendor outside the church. At around 11:30 a.m., Yi Wanyong appeared and was heading towards his
rickshaw when Lee Jae-myeong sprung into action, stabbing him three times with a knife while shouting 'Long Live the Independence of Korea'. The assassin was quickly subdued by Japanese police and was arrested with serious injuries; he would be sentenced to death. The assassination attempt left Yi Wanyong with a damaged left lung, causing him to suffer from
pneumonia and
lung diseases, which eventually became the cause of his death.
Japanese rule to Yi Wanyong signed and sealed by
Sunjong. In 1910, Yi signed the
Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty by which Japan took full control over Korea, while Korean
Emperor Sunjong refused to sign. For his cooperation with the Japanese, Yi is also listed in Korea amongst the eight Gyeongsul Traitors. He was rewarded with a peerage in the Japanese
kazoku system, becoming a
hakushaku (
Count), in 1910, and was raised to the title of
kōshaku (
Marquis) in 1921. He died in February 1926, received a grand funeral with the
Governor-General at that time,
Saitō Makoto in attendance, and was posthumously awarded the
Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum. The coffin lid was bought for ₩50000 and burnt. ==Legacy==