Julia Mullock

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Julia Mullock (born 18 March 1928) became a disputed member of the Korean Imperial Household with the title Her Imperial Highness Princess Julia Lee of Korea when she became the de-facto wife of Gu, Prince of Korea. The two were never legally married^[1] by Korean custom, in that Mullock was not included in the Yi family registry, and because of this Mullock later had trouble processing a divorce application in the United States from Prince Gu.^[2]

Born in Pennsylvania, United States, Julia came from a Ukrainian–American family. She and her former husband, Prince Gu's first meeting is reminiscent of a movie itself. She was working in the architectural practice of IM Pei when Gu, fresh out of MIT with architecture degree, joined the New York firm.

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She taped a notice on the firm's notice board to sell her apartment, being so tired of her work that she planned to move to Spain. Gu saw the notice but paid no attention to the apartment when he visited. Instead he persuaded her to stay. Julia, whose parents were from Ukraine, was deeply moved when Gu uttered a few words in clumsy Russian he was taught by Ukrainian college roommates.

In 1958 she met his parents, Prince Eun and Princess Bangja. In May 1958, Julia and Gu were engaged; they were married at St George's Church in New York on 25 October 1959. The happiest time of their marriage was when the newly-weds lived in Hawaii near her parents-in-law.

On 15 June 1963, Julia visited Korea with her husband, arriving at Gimpo Airport on 22 November 1963. She lived in a new building in Nakseon Hall, Changduk Palace, Seoul with her husband, and with her mother-in-law, Princess Bangja, she worked for many charities. Her husband divorced her in 1982 under pressure from the imperial family, as she had produced no heir.

In 1995 she left for Hawaii. On 1 May 2005 she attended religious ceremonies at the Royal Ancestors' Shrine (Jomngmyo Jerye) with Mrs Gwon Heesun, her lady-in-waiting, and Princess Haewon, a daughter of Prince Gang of Korea.

Prince Gu, her former husband, who spent his time travelling back and forth between Japan and Korea, died of a heart attack at the age of seventy-four.

She currently lives in an apartment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea.

In April of 2006 Universal Studios division Focus Features announced that it would be producing a biographical film of Mullock with a working title of The Julia Project in partnership with South Korean LJ Film.^[3] In August of 2006 Focus announced that Deepa Mehta had been chosen to direct the film.^[4]