Joseon Cybernation
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Joseon Empire (대)조선국 (Korean) | |
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 Flag
.svg) Coat of arms
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Motto: Let the world be enlightened![1]: 34 | |
Logo 85px | |
| Status | See § International status |
| Official languages | All languages[2] |
| Recognized languages | Korean[3][1]: 30, 33 |
| Demonym(s) | The Joseon People[4]: 3.3 |
| Government | Direct democratic constitutional monarchy[2]Template:Independent source needed |
• King | Andrew Lee |
• Prime Minister | Matt Kim[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 0 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Currency | Mun |
The Joseon Cybernation, known officially as the Joseon Empire,[6][7][lower-alpha 1] or colloquially referred to as Joseon, is a self-proclaimed "cyberstate". It has no physical territory, and stylizes itself as a "cloud-based, blockchain-backed kingdom" that exists only in cyberspace.
Joseon was proclaimed in 2022 by American businessman Andrew Lee after he was adopted by Yi Seok, a pretender to the House of Yi, which ruled over the historical Joseon kingdom and the Korean Empire. In 2023, Joseon established diplomatic relations with United Nations member state Antigua and Barbuda, though "cyberstates" do not exist under international law.
History
According to Andrew Lee, Won Joon Lee, one of his distant relatives and grandson of a keeper of the House of Yi lineage, said that their clan was descended from Korean royalty; as the result, he was introduced to Yi Seok, a grandson of Emperor Gojong of Korea. Yi Seok is known as an active pretender to the former monarchy, but he has no male offspring, and he proposed adopting Andrew Lee as his heir, which Andrew was initially reluctant.[8] Regarding Andrew Lee's ancestry, Yi Seok has only stated that he was a descendant of Yi Seong-gye,[9] keeping said ancestry vague.[lower-alpha 2] In October 2018, Seok declared Andrew the crown prince of Korea at a ceremony in Los Angeles, attended by Bermuda premier David Burt, and city officials from Los Angeles and Jeonju.[11][12][13] Andrew Lee later took over Yi Seok's status as the claimant to the Joseon throne in 2022. By March 2022, Lee announced the founding of a "non-territorial successor state to the Joseon Empire", a cloud-based, blockchain-backed kingdom with himself as its ruler.[14]
As of July 2023, the son of Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne served as Joseon's "Vice Minister of State".[15] It has also been reported that cryptocurrency proponents Roger Ver and Mark Karpelès received the title of "duke".[16] Mike Honda, former US congressman, is also now working in the government as "Vice Minister of State" and "Emissary to the United States".[15]
International status
The Joseon Cybernation claims to be the "first cybernation to be recognized by a United Nations member state". Georgetown University law professor Anupam Chander notes that attempts at digital statehood have been made since the 1990s, though "the fact is [...] international law just doesn't have a mechanism for recognizing the sovereignty of a state in cyberspace". According to Chander, "cyberstates" are not sovereign states because they lack a permanent population and physical territory, as necessitated by the Montevideo Convention criteria.[8]
Jeff Yang of The Daily Beast opined that the Joseon Cybernation may focus on the capacity to establish diplomatic relations—the Montevideo Convention's "most essential" criterion.[8] As part of building its legitimacy, Joseon has built ties with Antigua and Barbuda, and claims that all treaties signed by the historical Joseon Empire are in "perpetual" effect. University of Missouri–St. Louis historian Minsoo Kang disputes that those historical treaties are still in effect, and called attempts to revive the empire "a freaking joke".[8]
Diplomatic relations
In April 2022, shortly after its establishment, the Joseon Cybernation signed a treaty of peace, amity, and commerce, with Antigua and Barbuda for economic and development initiatives.[17] In June 2023, Antigua and Barbuda released a statement formally establishing diplomatic relations with the Joseon Cybernation.[8][18][19] It later clarified that this would not affect its existent relations with South Korea.[20] Following the establishment of ties, the Joseon Cybernation provided Antigua and Barbuda with $1.5 million to help renovate school facilities.[20]
The government of the Joseon Cybernation has since claimed on social media that it has been in discussion with the governments of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Mongolia.[21][22]
Monarchs and Prime Ministers
See also
- Romanov Empire (micronation), attempt by a claimant of Russia's throne to make a micronation
- Dominion of Melchizedek, claimed itself as the first micronation to have been recognized by UN member states
Notes
- ↑ Template:Korean/auto
- ↑ ETtoday suggests a potential blood relation via "similar facial structures between Lee and the Gwangmu Emperor",[10] however it is unknown where this information surfaced from or whether if this information is correct.
References
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