Conspiracy of Emperor Seongjo as a surrogate

The conspiracy of Emperor Seongjo as a surrogate, formally the Emperor Seongjo surrogate conspiracy theory among many conspiracy theorists, is a set of claims that Emperor Seongjo, the first emperor of the Empire of Zhenia and a leading figure in Zhenian history, had used a surrogate instead of himself throughout a vast majority of his rule, and that the accomplishments known as his were actually those of said surrogate. While this topic has been tabooed during the Empire, it has surfaced since the establishment of the Republic, initially by radical republicans and later by revisionist historians, including Ma Jooseok, founder and former President of the Citizens' Association for Truth and Justice.

While such theories have mostly submerged underwater during the Third Republic and under the rule of Kim Shimin, they have resurfaced since the turn of the century, amid numerous figures, including journalist Kim Yoonseon and former University of Daedo professor Heo Junseop, have debated that the real Emperor Seongjo, or Li Zichuan, was incompetent in health to rule Shindan, thereby necessitating a surrogate that resembled him to be his stand-in in all public occasions, while they have also pointed out key differences between Emperor Seongjo's appearances and attitude before and after his coronation. While most historians, as well as the Imperial House of Li and the general public, have openly denounced such theories, it remains an ongoing conspiracy to this day and has been portrayed in media in recent years, specifically by the 2015 documentary film Shadow of Daeseong.