36-year-old Empress Sunjeonghyo in 1930. Empress Sunjeonghyo,or literally known as Sunjeong, the Filial Piety Empress (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 순정효황후,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

: 純貞孝皇后; 19 September 1894 – 3 February 1966), of the Haepyeong Yun clan, was the second wife and first Empress Consort of Emperor Yunghui, the last ruler of the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

Biography

Early life

Yun Jeung-sun (Hangul: 윤증순, Hangja: 尹曾順) was born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

to Lady Yu of the Gigye Yu clan and Yun Taek-yeong, a member of the Haepyeong Yun clan and an official of Joseon''.''

Yun Bo-seon Yun Po-sun (; or ; August 26, 1897 – July 18, 1990) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the second president of South Korea from 1960 to 1962. He was the only president of the parliamentary Second Republic of Korea. H ...

, the 2nd president of the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...

, was her ninth cousin three times removed. Yun is also a 15th great-granddaughter of Princess Jeonghye, a daughter of

King Seonjo Seonjo of Joseon (26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. He was known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign. However, politi ...

and younger sister of Grand Prince Jeongwon, who was the father of

King Injo Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, ...

. As well as an 11th great-granddaughter of

Yun Doo-su Yun Du-su ( ko, 윤두수, 尹斗壽; 1533–1601) was a Korean scholar-official of the Joseon Kingdom. He was a politician, poet, writer, scholar, and part of the Yi Hwang school among Westerners (Hangul: 서인, Korean: Seoin). Among many othe ...

. On her mother’s side, Yun’s grandfather, Yu Jin-hak, was a maternal adoptive nephew of

Queen Shinjeong Queen Sinjeong (Hangul: 신정왕후, Hanja: 神貞王后; 21 January 1809 – 4 June 1890), also known as Queen Dowager Hyoyu (효유왕대비), of the Pungyang Jo clan, was the only wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong and mother of Heonjong of Joseo ...

; thus making her the adoptive great-grandniece of the late Queen.

Marriage and Life in the Palace

To how Lady Yun was chosen to be the next wife of crown prince was from the help of Imperial Consort Sunheon. Prior to the marriage, the

Imo Incident The Imo Incident, also sometimes known as the Imo Mutiny, Soldier's riot or Jingo-gunran in Japanese, was a violent uprising and riot in Seoul beginning on July 23, 1882, by soldiers of the Joseon Army who were later joined by disaffected member ...

of 1882 had forced

Empress Myeongseong Empress Myeongseong or Empress Myungsung (명성황후 민씨; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895In lunar calendar, the Empress was born on 25 September 1851 and died on 20 August 1895), informally known as Empress Min, was the official wife ...

to flee from the palace, which brought Eom to demonstrate extreme loyalty to Gojong. The imperial consort, known at the time was Court Lady Eom, and the king became close during that time until Queen Min returned to the palace. In 1885, the Queen consort expelled Eom from the palace when she discovered Eom wearing Gojong's clothing (seung-eun) at the age of 32. Her expulsion stripped her of her position and title, but a high-ranking official, Yun Yong-seon, Lady Yun’s grandfather, purportedly interceded on her behalf with Gojong, and she was forgiven. Eom never forgot the grace of Yun Yong-seon. Because the seat was vacant, Imperial Consort Sunheon recommended the adoptive great-granddaughter of Yun after Crown Prince Yi Cheok’s first wife, Crown Princess Consort Min, died on 5 November 1904. Yun Jeung-sun married the 32-year-old Crown Prince Cheok on 24 January 1907 at the age of 13. When she became Crown Princess Consort, her mother was given the royal title of "Internal Princess Consort Gyeongheung of the Gigye Yun clan" (Hangul: 경흥부부인 기계 유씨, Hanja: 慶興府夫人杞溪兪氏) while her father was given the royal title of "Internal Prince Haepung, Yun Taek-yeong" (Hangul: 해풍부원군, 윤택영, Hanja: 海豊府院君尹澤榮). On 20 July 1907, she became Empress Consort of Korea when her husband ascended the throne after the forced abdication of his father,

Emperor Gwangmu Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) was the monarch of Korea from 1864 to 1907. He reigned as the last King of Joseon from 1864 to 1897, and as the first Emperor of Korea from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is known ...

. The Empress was demoted by the Japanese government by the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1910 and thereafter officially known as ''Her Majesty'', Queen Yi of Korea (this title, however, was ignored in Korea). Because of her demotion, she was known by her given alternative royal title as Queen Yun (윤비, 尹妃) and lived at Daejojeon Hall. But when she was given the royal title of Queen Yi of Changdeok Palace (창덕궁 이왕비, 昌德宮李王妃), she eventually moved into the palace’s Nakseon Hall when her husband’s health worsened. Empress Sunjeonghyo became a widow on 24 April 1926, when Emperor Yunghui died without issue at the

Changdeok Palace Changdeokgung (Hangul: 창덕궁, Hanja: 昌德宮; literally, "The Palace of Prospering Virtue"), also known as Changdeokgung Palace or Changdeok Palace, is set within a large park in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the " Five ...

in Seoul. Emperor Yunghui had been rendered infertile (and was also said to be mentally disabled) by poisoning in the Coffee Poisoning Plot. In 1939, the Queen’s family clan was pressured to change their family name to a Japanese surname. At the time,

Sōshi-kaimei Sōshi-kaimei (創氏改名, ko, 일본식 성명 강요) was a policy of pressuring Koreans under Japanese rule to adopt Japanese names. It consisted of two parts. Ordinance No. 19, issued in 1939, required ''sōshi'', literally "creatio ...

was a policy of pressuring Koreans under Japanese rule to adopt Japanese names. But her uncle, Yun Deok-yeong, opposed such a thing to happen and maintained their Korean surname.

Korean War

During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, Empress Sunjeonghyo stayed in Changdeok Palace as long as she could in the face of advancing forces from

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. During the war, the soldiers of North Korea invaded the palace but she reproved them and drove them all out. She then escaped secretly to the

Unhyeon Palace Unhyeongung (), also known as Unhyeongung Royal Residence, is a former Korean royal residence located at 114-10 Unni-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea. It was formerly the residence of the Heungseon Daewongun a prince regent of Korea during the Joseo ...

when the war situation became too serious. As the war progressed, she moved to

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

with other Imperial family members, including Princess Hui (wife of Prince Wanheung). According to ''The World is One'', Princess Yi Bangja's autobiography, Empress Sunjeonghyo went to Busan on foot.

After the Korean War

After the war, the new government of President

Rhee Syng-man Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...

, jealous of the popularity of the Imperial House, prevented Empress Sunjeonghyo from entering the

. She was kept imprisoned in Suin Hall, a narrow and unsuitable cottage in Jeongneung,

. After a change in government in 1961 she returned to Nakseon Hall,

with her dutiful ladies-in-waiting: Park Chang-bok (d.1981), Kim Myung-gil (d.1983) and Sung Ok-yeom (d.2001), and five other staff. Empress Sunjeonghyo became a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

in her later years. She died childless on 3 February 1966, aged 72, at Nakseon Hall, Changdeok Palace, Seoul from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. She was given a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

and a private Buddhist funeral. She is buried beside her husband, Emperor Yunghui and his first wife,

Empress Sunmyeong Empress Sunmyeonghyo or literally known as Sunmyeong, the Filial Piety Empress (Hangul: 순명효황후, Hanja: 純明孝皇后; 20 November 1872 – 5 November 1904), of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the first wife and Crown Princess Consort of ...

, at the Yureung.

Family

* Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Yun Sang-myeong (윤상명, 尹商明) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Yun Deuk-il (윤득일, 尹得一) * Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Yun Myeon-dong (윤면동, 尹冕東) * Great-Great-Great-Grandfather ** Yun Myeong-ryeol (윤명렬, 尹命烈) * Great-Great-Grandfather ** Yun Chi-hui (윤치희, 尹致羲) (1797 - 1866) * Great-Great-grandmother ** Lady Jo of the

Pungyang Jo clan The Pungyang Jo clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the 2015 Korean census, the clan has 124,262 members. Origin Jo Maeng (조맹, 趙孟), who was also known by the name of Ba-woo or B ...

(정경부인 조씨, 貞敬夫人趙氏) (1794 - 1875) (본관: 풍양 조씨, 豊壤趙氏) * Great-grandfather ** Yun Wi-seon (윤위선, 尹爲善) *** Adoptive great-grandfather: Yun Yong-seon (윤용선, 尹容善) (1829 - 1904) *** Adoptive great-grandmother: Lady Kim of the

Andong Kim clan {{unreferenced, date=December 2014 The Andong Kim clan (Hangul: 안동 김씨, Hanja: 安東金氏) refers to two Korean clans. They were prominent yangban families during Korea's Joseon Dynasty originating from Andong, North Gyeongsang provin ...

(정경부인 안동 김씨, 貞敬夫人金氏) (1826 - 1879) * Grandfather ** Yun Cheol-gu (윤철구, 尹徹求) * Grandmother ** Lady Hong (정경부인 홍씨) * Father ** Yun Taek-yeong (윤택영, 尹澤榮) (1876 - 24 October 1935) *** Uncle: Yun Deok-yeong (윤덕영, 尹德榮) (27 December 1873 - 18 October 1940) *** Aunt: Kim Bok-soo (김복수, 金福綏) (2 December 1872 - 10 June 1950) * Mother ** Internal Princess Consort Gyeongheung of the Gigye Yu clan (경흥부부인 기계 유씨, 慶興府夫人杞溪兪氏) (1866 - 1936) *** Maternal Grandfather: Yu Jin-hak (유진학); adoptive nephew of

* Siblings ** Older brother: Yun Hong-seop (윤홍섭, 尹弘燮) or Yun Song-mu (윤송무, 尹松茂) *** Sister-in-law: Han Yoo-sang (한유상) *** Sister-in-law: Yi Yong-suk (이용숙) ** Younger brother: Yun Ui-seop (윤의섭, 尹毅燮) (8 March 1912 - 25 February 1966); succeeded his father in becoming Marquis *** Sister-in-law: Kim Hyeon-jeong (김현정) (1917 - 1957) ** Younger sister: Yun Hee-seop (윤희섭, 尹喜燮) (6 November 1905 - ?) *** Brother-in-law: Yu Eok-gyeom (유억겸, 兪億兼) of Gigye Yu clan (23 October 1895 - 8 November 1947) (본관: 기계 유씨, 杞溪兪氏) * Husband **

Emperor Sunjong Sunjong, the Emperor Yunghui (; 25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926), was the second and the last Emperor of Korea, of the Yi dynasty, ruling from 1907 until 1910. Biography Crown Prince of Korea Sunjong was the second son of Emperor Gojong a ...

(25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926) — No issue. *** Mother-in-law:

(17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895) *** Father-in-law:

Emperor Gojong Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) was the monarch of Korea from 1864 to 1907. He reigned as the last King of Joseon from 1864 to 1897, and as the first Emperor of Korea from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is known ...

(9 September 1852 - 21 January 1919) * Issue ** Adoptive son: Prince Yi Jin (이진, 李晉) (18 August 1921 - 11 May 1922)Was made the heir and adoptive son of her husband. Yi Jin is the older brother of

Yi Gu Francis Yi Ku (December 29, 1931 July 16, 2005) was a Korean prince who was head of the House of Yi from 1970 until 2005. He was a grandson of Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. Early life Ku was born in Kitashirakawa Palace (which is cu ...

, and the eldest son of Prince Yi Un and Princess Yi Bangja

In Popular Culture

* Portrayed by

Jang Seo-hee Jang Seo-hee (born January 5, 1972) is a South Korean actress. She has starred in numerous television dramas, including ''Miss Mermaid'' (2002) and '' Temptation of Wife'' (2008), which were both extremely successful in the ratings and earned J ...

in the 1990 MBC TV series ''500 Years of Joseon: Daewongun'' * Portrayed by Kim Ji-mi in the 1966 film ''The Last Empress'' * Portrayed by Song Seo-ha in the 2016 film '' The Last Princess''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunjeonghyo Of Korean Empire, Empress 1894 births 1966 deaths Korean empresses House of Yi Converts to Buddhism Korean Buddhist monarchs Korean Empire Buddhists