Politics·Nobility (Pro-Japanese collaborator)
| Life | 1864 ~ 1926 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 전주 이씨 |
Yi Byeong-mu (1864-1926), a native of Gongju, Chungcheong Province, entered government service in 1881 through the eumseo appointment system and passed the military examination in 1894. Around 1895 he studied for about a year at Japan's Army Officer Academy, and after returning to Korea served as commandant of the Korean Empire's Military Academy.
In 1907 he joined Yi Wan-yong's pro-Japanese cabinet as Minister of Military Affairs and led the disbandment of the Korean Empire's army under the Japan-Korea Treaty; when disbanded soldiers formed the core of the subsequent righteous army uprisings, he took charge of suppressing them, earning him a place among the "Seven Traitors of 1907." In 1909 he became the first Minister of the Imperial Guard, and at the signing of the 1910 Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty he served as chief aide-de-camp, for which he was also named among the "Eight Traitors of 1910" and received the title of viscount. He was accordingly included in both the 2002 list of 708 pro-Japanese figures and the 2006 government list of 106 people found guilty of pro-Japanese collaborationist activity.