Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Indong Jang clan (
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 l ...
: 희빈 장씨,
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, ...
: 禧嬪 張氏; 3 November 1659 – 9 November 1701), personal name Jang Ok-jeong (
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 l ...
: 장옥정,
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, ...
: 張玉貞), was a consort of
King Sukjong of Joseon
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and the mother of
King Gyeongjong. She was the
Queen of Joseon from 1689 until her deposition, in 1694.
Biography
Early life
Jang Ok-jeong was the daughter of Jang Hyeong and his second wife, Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan. Part of the
Namin faction, she came from a long line of interpreters and belonged to the
Jungin class.
Ok-jeong is widely thought to have been one of the most beautiful women in
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
, and her charm was mentioned in the
Annals
Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record.
Scope
The nature of the distinction between ann ...
.
She became a
lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
to the King's step-great-grandmother,
Grand Queen Dowager Jaui, at the recommendation of Prince Dongpyeong, who was Sukjong's first cousin-once-removed and
Jaui's step-grandson.
Life as Royal Consort
While visiting Queen Jaui, the King became infatuated with Ok-jeong's beauty and gave her the rank of ''Seungeun Sanggung'' (or Favored Sanggung; 승은 상궁), but his mother,
Queen Dowager Hyeonyeol, who belonged to the
Seoin faction, feared that Jang Ok-jeong would influence him to favor the
Namin, so she expelled her from the palace.
In 1683, Hyeonyeol died and Queen Min, Sukjong's wife at that time (posthumously known as
Queen Inhyeon), allowed Lady Jang to return to court.
In 1686, Ok-jeong became a concubine with the rank of ''
Sug-won'' (숙원, 淑媛). In 1688, she was elevated to ''
So-ui'' (소의, 昭儀), after giving birth to the King's first son,
Yi Yun.
In the court, the Seoin faction split into
Noron
The Noron () were a political faction of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. They consisted of the supporters of Song Siyeol after the split of the Westerners. The Noron suffered setbacks with Kim Seok-ju's death in 1684 and Song's execution in 1689. In ...
(Old Learning), led by
Song Si-yeol
Song Si-yeol ( ko, 송시열, Hanja: 宋時烈; 30 December 1607 - 19 July 1689), also known by his pennames ''Uam'' (우암) and ''Ujae'' (우재) or by the honorific ''Songja'' ( ko, 송자, Hanja: 宋子), was a Korean philosopher and politic ...
, and
Soron
Soron Shookarakshetra is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
History
Kasganj district was formed on 17 April 2008 by splitting Kasganj, Patiali and Sahawar Tehsils from Etah district. Sant Tulsidas was born in the district and Amir Khu ...
(New Learning), led by
Yun Jeung
Yun Jeung or Yun Chǔng (1629–1714) was a Confucian scholar in Korea during the late period of the Joseon dynasty. He was known as being a progressive thinker and for his opposition to the formalism and ritualism in the predominant philosophy ...
. The Noron was supported by Queen Inhyeon.
The Namin faction pushed for the King to acknowledge Yi Yun as heir apparent, but the Seoin faction insisted that the Queen was still young and could bear a son, who should be the heir. Sukjong pushed for a compromise in which the Queen would adopt Yi Yun as her son. However, she refused to do so. Sukjong became angry at the opposition, and many were killed, including
Song Si-yeol
Song Si-yeol ( ko, 송시열, Hanja: 宋時烈; 30 December 1607 - 19 July 1689), also known by his pennames ''Uam'' (우암) and ''Ujae'' (우재) or by the honorific ''Songja'' ( ko, 송자, Hanja: 宋子), was a Korean philosopher and politic ...
. The Namin faction seized power, and they exiled the Queen's father and the leaders of the Seoin faction.
In March 1688, Queen Inhyeon was also deposed and exiled. This incident is called ''
Gisa Hwanguk
The Gisa Hwanguk ( ko, 기사환국) occurred when the Westerners fell out of power after opposing the naming of a crown prince by Sukjong of Joseon. Prominent Westerner Song Si-yeol and others were executed. Shortly after, the Westerners split in ...
'' (기사환국).
In that same year, Jang So-ui was promoted to ''
Bin'' (빈, 嬪), the highest rank for a consort, with the prefix ''Hui'' (禧), which means "beautiful". Later, Jang Hui-bin was appointed as Queen Consort.
In 1693, Sukjong's new favorite, a palace maid from the
Haeju Choe clan, was officially elevated to a royal concubine of the ''Sug-won'' rank. Choe Sug-won (later
Choe Suk-bin), was an open supporter of Queen Min and encouraged the King to reinstate her to her original position. In the meantime, Kim Chun-taek, who was member of the Noron faction, and Han Jung-hyuk from the Soron faction, staged a campaign to reinstate the Deposed Queen.
In 1694, Jang Ok-jeong lost the favor of the King. Sukjong grew disgusted by the greed of the Namin faction and the ever-powerful Jang family. He also felt remorse for his temperamental actions during ''
Gisa Hwanguk
The Gisa Hwanguk ( ko, 기사환국) occurred when the Westerners fell out of power after opposing the naming of a crown prince by Sukjong of Joseon. Prominent Westerner Song Si-yeol and others were executed. Shortly after, the Westerners split in ...
''. In the government, the Namin faction's attempt to purge the Seoin on the charge of plotting to reinstate the Deposed Queen backfired.
Later years and death
The King banished Jang Hui-jae, Queen Jang's older brother, and the leaders of the Namin party. He officially demoted Jang Ok-jeong to her former position, ''Hui-bin'', and reinstated the Deposed Queen Min. This incident is called ''
Gapsul Hwanguk
The Gabsul Hwanguk ( ko, 갑술환국) occurred in 1694. The Southerners attempt to purge Westerners on charge of plotting to reinstate deposed Queen Inhyeon backfired. The Southerners would never recover from this purge politically. However, the ...
'' (갑술환국). The Namin faction would never politically recover from this purge.
The Soron faction supported
Crown Prince Yi Yun, who was Jang Hui-bin's son, while the Noron faction supported
Yi Geum, Prince Yeoning, who was Choe Suk-bin's son.
In 1701, Queen Inhyeon died of an unknown disease. Allegedly, Sukjong discovered Lady Jang conspiring with a shaman priestess to curse the Queen with black magic and gloating over her death. The Soron faction pleaded with the King to show mercy and pointed out that she was the mother of the Crown Prince.
Unmoved, the King sentenced Hui-bin, her mother, her brother, the leader of Soron and all of her companions to death. 1700 people died as a result of the incident. He also exiled the courtiers who had asked him to spare Lady Jang's life.
On the 7th day of the 10th month in the 27th year of his reign (November 7, 1701), Sukjong passed a decree prohibiting any concubine from ever becoming Queen, and on November 9, 1701, Jang Hui-bin was executed by poisoning at Chuseondang Hall, her residence inside
Changgyeong Palace. She was 42 years old.
Burial
Her tomb is called ''Daebinmyo'' and was originally located in
Gwangju
Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial offic ...
,
Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
, but in June 1969 it was moved to the
Seooneung Cluster, in
Deogyang District,
Goyang
Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a popula ...
, Gyeonggi Province, near ''Myeongneung'', which contains the tombs of
King Sukjong and two of his wives,
Queen Inhyeon and
Queen Inwon
Queen Inwon (3 November 1687 – 13 May 1757; 인원왕후 김씨), of the Gyeongju Kim clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and fourth queen consort of Yi Sun, King Sukjong, the 19th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Joseon ...
.
The relocation took place because the tomb was blocking the government's planned expansion of the city.
Behind the tomb is a large rock, and a pine tree has broken through the rock to grow. There is speculation that this reveals that Jang Hui-bin's ''ki'' (energy) was, and still is, very strong. Some Korean websites report that because Lady Jang was such a strong woman there is a belief that if young, single women who want a boyfriend visit the tomb and pay a tribute, they will soon find love.
Her memorial tablet was enshrined in ''Chilgung'' (or the "Palace Of Seven Royal Concubines").
Ancestry
Family
* Father: Jang Hyeong (장형) (25 February 1623 – 12 January 1669)
** Grandfather: Jang Eung-in (장응인)
** Grandmother: Lady Park of the Nampo Park clan (남포 박씨)
* Mother: Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평 윤씨) (1626 – 1698)
** Grandfather: Yun Seong-rib (윤성립)
** Grandmother: Lady Byeon of the Chogye Byeon clan (초계 변씨)
* Step-mother: Lady Go of the Jeju Go clan (제주 고씨, 濟州 髙氏) (? – 1645)
** Step-grandfather: Go Seong-rib (고성립, 高誠立)
Sibling(s)
* Older half-brother: Jang Hui-sik (장희식) (1640 – ?)
** Sister-in-law: Lady Yi (이씨)
* Older sister: Lady Jang (장씨)
** Brother-in-law: Kim Ji-jong (김지중)
*** Unnamed nephew
*** Unnamed nephew
*** Unnamed nephew
*** Lady Kim (김씨)
* Older brother: Jang Hui-jae (장희재) (1651 – 29 October 1701)
** Sister-in-law: Lady Kim of the Gyeongju Kim clan (경주 김씨) (? – 12 December 1701)
*** Unnamed nephew
*** Nephew: Jang Cha-gyeong (장차경)
*** Nephew: Jang Hwi (장휘) (? – 11 April 1728)
** Sister-in-law: Ahn Sook-jeong (안숙정) (1666 – 3 October 1701)
*** Nephew: Jang Jong-gyeong (장종경) (? – 1 April 1724)
**** Niece-in-law: Sil-ae (실애, 實愛)
****Unnamed niece-in-law
Husband
*
Yi Sun, King Sukjong of Joseon (이순 조선 숙종) (7 October 1661 – 12 July 1720)
** Mother-in-law:
Queen Myeongseong of the Cheongpung Kim clan (명성왕후 김씨) (13 June 1642 – 21 January 1684)
** Father-in-law:
King Hyeonjong of Joseon (조선 현종) (14 March 1641 – 17 September 1674)
Issue
* Son:
Yi Yun, King Gyeongjong of Joseon (이윤 조선 경종) (20 November 1688 – 11 October 1724)
** Daughter-in-law:
Queen Danui of the Cheongsong Shim clan (단의왕후 심씨) (11 July 1686 – 8 March 1718)
** Daughter-in-law:
Queen Seonui of the Hamjong Eo clan (선의왕후 어씨) (14 December 1705 – 12 August 1730)
* Son: Prince Seongsu (성수군) (19 July 1690 – 16 September 1690) — disputed
In popular culture
* Portrayed by
Kim Ji-mee
Kim Ji-mee (born July 15, 1940) is a South Korean actress, producer, and film planner whose activity began in 1957. She was born in Daedeok, South Chungcheong province, Korea in 1940. While a student of Deokseong Girls' High School, Kim was cast ...
in the
1961 film ''Jang Hui-bin''.
* Portrayed by
Nam Jeong-im
Nam Jeong-im (July 21, 1945 – September 2, 1992) was a South Korean actress. Nam was commonly referred to as one of the "Troika" along with her rival actresses, Yoon Jeong-hee and Moon Hee of the 1960s and early 1970s.
Filmography
*Note; th ...
in the 1968 film ''
Femme Fatale, Jang Hee-bin
''Femme Fatale, Jang Hee-bin'' or Concubine Jang Hui-bin () is a 1968 South Korean film directed by Im Kwon-taek.
Plot
A concubine, Jang Ok-jung, is made queen by King Sukjong, and plots to drive the old queen into exile. After her plot fails d ...
''.
* Portrayed by
Youn Yuh-jung in the 1971
MBC TV series ''Jang Hui-bin''.
* Portrayed by
Lee Mi-sook
Lee Mi-sook (born April 2, 1960) is a South Korean actress. One of the best-known actresses of 1980s Korean cinema, Lee's most famous films from this era include Bae Chang-ho's ''Whale Hunting'' and ''The Winter That Year Was Warm'', Lee Doo-yong ...
in the 1981 MBC TV series ''Women of History: Jang Hui-bin''.
* Portrayed by Jun In-hwa in the 1988 MBC TV series ''500 Years of Joseon Dynasty: Queen Inhyeon''.
* Portrayed by Jung Sun-kyung in 1995
SBS TV series ''Jang Hee Bin''.
* Portrayed by
Kim Hye-soo
Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one of the most popular teen stars in the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for her headstrong independence and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women.
Kim bega ...
in the 2002
KBS2
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters.
KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...
TV series ''Royal Story: Jang Hui-bin''.
* Interpreted by Yoon Se-ah in the movie Shadows In The Palace 2007.
* Portrayed by
Lee So-yeon in the 2010 MBC TV series ''
Dong Yi''.
* Portrayed by Choi Woo-ri in the 2012
tvN TV series ''
Queen Inhyun's Man''.
* Portrayed by
Kim Tae-hee
Kim Tae-hee (; born 29 March 1980) is a South Korean actress. Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful actresses, she is best known for her roles in Korean dramas such as ''Stairway to Heaven'' (2003), ''Love Story in Harvard'' (2004), '' ...
and
Kang Min-ah
Kang Min-ah (; born March 20, 1997), is a South Korean actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such ...
in the 2013 SBS TV series ''
Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love
''Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love'' () is a 2013 South Korean historical television series, starring Kim Tae-hee, Yoo Ah-in, Hong Soo-hyun and Jae Hee. Based on the 2008 novel by Choi Jung-mi, it is a reinterpretation of Jang Hui-bin's life, as a wo ...
''.
*
Parodied
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
by members of the pop band
Shinhwa in
the 25 August 2012 episode of
JTBC
JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
variety show ''
Shinhwa Broadcasting''.
*Portrayed by
Oh Yeon-ah
Oh Yeon-ah (born Kim Mi-ae on December 1, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She has played many supporting roles in both films and television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a televi ...
in the 2015
SBS TV series ''
Jackpot
Jackpot or Jackpot! may refer to:
* A prize, such as a progressive jackpot
* Gardena jackpots, a poker variant
* Jackpot, Nevada, a community on the Nevada–Idaho state border
Comics
* Jackpot (comics), several comic book characters
* ''Jackp ...
.''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jang, Huibin
17th-century Korean people
1701 deaths
Year of birth unknown
1659 births
17th-century Korean women
Korean ladies-in-waiting
Royal consorts of the Joseon dynasty
Korean queens consort
Indong Jang clan
People executed by poison
People executed for witchcraft
Asian witchcraft