Yi Geon-seok, from Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang, organized protest petitions in 1898 demanding retribution for the assassination of Empress Myeongseong, and in 1905, after the protectorate treaty was signed, formed a coalition with Yi Seok-jong and others to submit a joint memorial from all thirteen provinces demanding the treaty's annulment and the punishment of the five pro-Japanese ministers. He was arrested by Japanese forces, taken to Japan, and died in prison in May 1906 after refusing to yield to torture and inducements. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1963 and is buried at the Daejeon National Cemetery.