Yi Ok-hui was born in Buyeo, Chungcheongnam-do in 1936, and is also called Yi Il-ju.

I learned how to play sound since I was young, and learned the basics of pansori such as Simcheongga and Chunhyangga from master singer Lee Gi-gon. After that, master singers Park Cho-wol, Kim So-hee, and Oh Jung-sook learned pansori and practiced their talents as master singers.

Lee Il-ju sang the pansori part at Jeonju Daeseok Nori in 1979, sang Simcheongga and Chunhyangga at the Seoul National Theater in 1981 and 1983, and won the Jeollabuk-do Cultural Award in 1982.