Royal Consort Suk-bi of the Choe clan (), personal name Choe Yong-deok (), was a consort of

King U U of Goryeo (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled Goryeo (Korea) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. He was the only son of King Gongmin. Cultural background In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had invaded China and established the ...

, the 32nd king of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

Biography

Yong-deok, also known as Kayaji (), was the daughter of Choi Cheon-geom and his concubine. Born into the ''

nobi ''Nobi'' were members of the slave class during the Korean dynasties of Goryeo and Joseon. Legally, they held the lowest rank in medieval Korean society. Like the slaves, serfs, and indentured servants of the Western Hemisphere, ''nobi'' wer ...

'' class, she worked in the ''Tongjewon'' () before becoming a palace lady in the service of Royal Consort Ui of the No clan. In the 10th year of

's reign, the king began to visit her daily and lavish more attention on her than her mistress.''Goryeosa'', vol. 135, Biographies: vol. 48. King U: Month 10, Year 10. After court eunuchs pointed out that Yong-deok's home was too small and shabby to host the king, it was arranged that Yong-deok would live in the house of a courtier nearer the palace. Yong-deok was invested as Royal Consort Suk () only one month after the king first visited her house. At this time, her father was promoted to the office of the ''Miljiksa'' (), her mother was granted the title of "Princess Myeongseon", and her elder sister's husband was promoted to the ''Panmiljiksasa'' ().''Goryeosa'', vol. 135. Biographies: vol. 48. King U: Month 11, Year 10. Soon after his promotion, her father used his position to confiscate other people's homes and take bribes in the form of silks, horses, and slaves. Yong-deok had not been invested long when she grew jealous of the amount of time the king was spending with another ''

'' woman, Bong-gai. She told the king that Bong-gai had previously been involved with a courtier, whom the king promptly banished to oversee construction works in the west. Later the same year, one of her father's slaves was beaten by minister Yun Chwi, and Yong-deok complained to the king, which led to Yun being sent to prison and demoted to commoner status.

Banishment

In 1386, Yong-deok lost the king's favour. One day, she had her servant play the ''

geomungo The geomungo (also spelled ''komungo'' or ''kŏmun'go'') or ''hyeongeum'' (literally "black zither", also spelled ''hyongum'' or ''hyŏn'gŭm'') is a traditional Korean plucked zither with both bridges and frets. ''Geomungo'' is a representative ...

'', but they stopped playing as soon as the king arrived. The king grew angry and beat the servant, asking why they had stopped playing. Yong-deok hugged his waist, saying "I've lost the king's favour and have nothing to do, if you keep beating the servant, what else will I have?" King U then punched her in the face.

Princess Suknyeong Princess Suknyeong (Hangul: 숙녕옹주, Hanja: 淑寧翁主; 1649 — 1666 or 1668) was a Korean Joseon Dynasty Princess, and the only daughter of King Hyojong of Joseon and Royal Noble Consort An. Biography Early life The Princess was b ...

accused the consort and her mother of attempting to manipulate the king through sexual practices, so King U expelled Yong-deok from the palace to her father's house. Her palace staff were imprisoned and interrogated harshly, whilst her father and his wife were also imprisoned and their house confiscated. Shortly after, Yong-deok was banished to

Jeonju Jeonju () is the 16th largest city in South Korea and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many residents who work in Jeonju) ...

with her father, and her mother, elder sister, and four servants were executed, despite attempts by several courtiers to save them. One person on their day of execution said that they would be revenged on the one who killed them. The body was displayed in the city, and when King U went to view it, he ordered that it be spread on a cart to accelerate decomposition. The smell reportedly filled the entire street, and people did not dare to go near the body.

Reinstatement as consort

In 1387, Yong-deok was summoned back to

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

from Jeonju. Although the ''

Goryeosa The ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is the main surviving historical record of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. It was composed nearly a century after the fall of Goryeo, during the reign of King Sejong, undergoing repeated revisions between ...

'' does not specify whether her father accompanied her, he appears in a record dated one month later, receiving an appointment as ''Cheonyang Buwongun'' (). King U had a golden statue of the Buddha made for Yong-deok''Goryeosa'', vol. 136. Biographies: vol. 49. King U: Month 8, Year 13. and later pardoned her of all crimes when she fell ill. A residence named ''Uihyebu'' () was established for her, and it was furnished in accordance with the arrangements of Queen Mother Myeongdeok's residence.

After U of Goryeo's deposal

In 1388, King U was deposed during a mutiny by the military leader

Yi Seong-gye Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

, and his young son by Royal Consort Geun was put on the throne. As the mother of the new king, Royal Consort Geun was permitted to remain in the palace, but Yong-deok and the other consorts were expelled, along with their fathers, to their original homes. A few months later, on the occasion of King Chang's birthday, the remaining fathers of other consorts were released from prison.''Goryeosa'', vol. 137. Biographies: vol. 50. King Chang: Month 8, Year of Ascension to the Throne.

Family

*Father : Choi Cheongeom (최천검) *Mother : Princess Myeongseon (?–1386) (명선옹주) *Elder sister : Hae-ah (해아) **Brother-in-law : Jeong Huigye (1348–1396) (정희계) *Spouse :

U of Goryeo U of Goryeo (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled Goryeo (Korea) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. He was the only son of King Gongmin. Cultural background In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had invaded China and established the ...

(25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389)

Notes

References

External links

* {{cite web, url=http://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000853948, script-title=ko:우왕, trans-title=King U, publisher=

Doosan Encyclopedia ''Doosan Encyclopedia'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (두산동아). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (동아원색세계대백과사전), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be p ...

, language=Korean 14th-century births 14th-century deaths Royal consorts of the Goryeo Dynasty 14th-century Korean women