He was born as the 3rd and youngest son of Yi Gwang, Prince Jeon'gye-gun, and his 1st concubine Lady Yeom, in Ganghwa. His name was originally Yi Won-beom, but upon ascending the throne his name was legally changed to Yi Byeon . In 1841, the 10th year of King Heonjong's reign, seeking to take advantage of Heonjong's lack of heirs, Min Jin-yong, Lee Won-deok, Park Sun-su and others secretly conspired a rebellion to enthrone Yi Won-gyeong, Yi Gwang's firstborn son as well as only legitimate child, as the next king. However, Min Jin-yong's rebellion was exposed and along with Yi Won-gyeong were executed. By dint of guilt by association, Yi Won-gyeong's half brothers Yi Gyeong-eung and Yi Won-beom were exiled to Ganghwa.
Background
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Andong Kim clan, who had provided the Joseon state with several queens, had seized power almost everywhere in Korea. The social stagnation that resulted was a breeding ground for unrest. Corruption and embezzlement from the treasury and its inevitable exploitation were taken to extreme levels, and reached staggering proportions. One rebellion after another was accompanied by natural disasters. Indeed, it was one of the most gloomy periods in the country’s history. The only aim of the Andong Kim clan was the preservation of their influence. Their fierce campaign to dominate the royal house had led to a situation in which almost all of the representatives of the royal family fled from Seoul. When the royal family produced intelligent and appropriate candidates for the accession, they were either accused of treason and executed or sent into exile, so when Heonjong died, leaving no son, no acceptable candidate could be found to succeed to the throne.
Reign
Cheoljong ascended to the throne in 1849 at the age of 19 after King Heonjong died without an heir. As a distant relative of both the recently deceased king as well as a descendant of King Yeongjo, Cheoljong was selected for adoption by the Senior Dowager Queen at the time and to allow him to ascend to the throne. The future Cheoljong was found on Ganghwa Island where his family had been in exile since the Catholic Persecution of 1801. When the envoys arrived on Ganghwa Island, they found the exiled remnants of the royal clan barely surviving in wretched poverty, and in the midst of that degradation, 19-year old Yi Won-beom was proclaimed King. Though from the start of the Joseon Dynasty Korean kings had given top priority to the education of their sons, Cheoljong could not even read a single word on the notice delivering congratulations to him on his elevation to the royal throne. For the Andong Kims, Cheoljong was an excellent choice. His illiteracy made him manipulable and vulnerable to their control. Proof of this was that even though Cheoljong ruled the country for 13 years, until his very last days he had not yet learned how to move with dignity or how to wear royal clothes, so that in even the most luxurious of robes he still looked like a fisherman. As part of the Andong Kim's manipulation of Cheoljong, in 1851, the clan married Cheoljong to Kim Mun-geun's daughter, known posthumously as Queen Cheor'in.
Death
Cheoljong died at the age of 32 in 16 January 1864, without any surviving male heirs. Once again, it became necessary to search far back in the Yi lineage to find a candidate for the throne.
