Royal Consort Suk-yong (, died 1506), of the Heungdeok Jang clan, was the consort of

Yeonsangun of Joseon Yeonsangun of Joseon or Prince Yeonsan of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung (Korean: 이융; Hanja: 李㦕), was the tenth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's ...

. She is often compared with

Jang Hui-bin Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Indong Jang clan (Hangul: 희빈 장씨, Hanja: 禧嬪張氏; 3 November 1659 – 9 November 1701), personal name Jang Ok-jeong (Hangul: 장옥정, Hanja: 張玉貞), was a consort of King Sukjong of Joseon and ...

and Jeong Nan-jeong, two other women of the

Joseon dynasty 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 ...

. After the overthrow of Yeonsangun, she was executed by the new ruler,

Jungjong of Joseon Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. ...

Biography

The royal consort’s name was Jang Nok-su (장녹수). Her father was Jang Han-pil a county magistrate who lived in the western part of

Chungcheong Province Chungcheong (''Chungcheong-do''; ) was one of the Eight Provinces (Korea), eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea. The provincial capital was located at Gongju, which had been the ...

and her mother was a concubine from the cheonmin class. Because of this, Jang Nok-su lived as a servant of the Grand Prince Jean, son of

Yejong of Joseon Yejong of Joseon (12 February 1450 – 31 December 1469), personal name Yi Hwang ( Korean: 이황; Hanja: 李晄), firstly titled Grand Prince Haeyang ( Korean: 해양대군; Hanja: 海陽大君), was the eighth ruler of the Joseon dynasty o ...

and

Queen Ansun Queen Ansun (18 April 1445 – 3 February 1499) of the Cheongju Han clan, was the second wife and queen consort of King Yejong, the 8th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort from 1468, until her husband's death in 1469, after which she was honou ...

. After having a son with Gano (가노, 家奴), another servant of Grand Prince Jean, she learned to sing and dance and became a

kisaeng Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...

. She was only of ordinary beauty, but had a vibrant and youthful appearance, and possessed an extraordinary talent for singing and music. One day,

Yeonsangun Yeonsangun of Joseon or Prince Yeonsan of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung ( Korean: 이융; Hanja: 李㦕), was the tenth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's ...

heard her voice and appointed Jang Nok-su his concubine, sending lots of gifts and wealth to her family. Concubine Jang seemed to treat

as a baby, but he so favored her that all rulings and punishments were made under her influence. In 1503 Jang Nok-su became Royal Consort when she was elevated to the rank of ''Suk-yong''. Based on the king's favor, her brother-in-law Kim Hyo-Son (husband of her sister) was given an official post. Although Jang Nok-su lived in the palace, she destroyed her house to rebuild a new and a bigger house. In 1506, a group of officials plotted against the despotic ruler of

. King

was dethroned and sent into exile. The last moments of Jang Nok-su's life were miserable. She was beheaded publicly and many people threw rocks at her dead body.

Family

*Father: Jang Han-pil (장한필, 張漢弼) * Unnamed mother * Sibling(s) **Sister: Jang Bok-su (장복수, 張福壽) ***Brother-in-law: Kim Hyo-son (김효손) * Husband: Gano (가노, 家奴) ** Unnamed son *Husband: King Yeonsangun of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506) (조선 연산군) **Daughter: Princess Yi Yeong-Su (이영수) (1502 - ?) ***Son-in-law: Kwon Han (권한, 權鷴)

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Kim Jin-ah in the 1988 film '' Diary of King Yeonsan''. * Portrayed by

Kang Sung-yeon Kang Sung-yeon (born July 21, 1976) is a South Korean actress. Kang made her acting debut in 1996 through MBC's Open Recruitment. Although her main profession was acting, she also contributed songs to several soundtracks and released two albu ...

in the 2005 film ''

The King and the Clown ''The King and the Clown'' (, lit. ''The King's Man'') is a 2005 South Korean historical drama film, starring Kam Woo-sung, Lee Joon-gi, and Jung Jin-young. It was adapted from the 2000 stage play, ''Yi'' ("You") about Yeonsangun of Joseon, a Jo ...

''. * Portrayed by Oh Soo-min in the 2007-2008 SBS TV series ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

''. * Portrayed by

Jeon So-min Jeon So-min (; born April 7, 1986) is a South Korean actress, model and author. Jeon made her debut in 2004 with sitcom ''Miracle''. In 2006, she made her big-screen debut through the film, ''Cinderella''. Jeon played her first leading role in ...

in the 2011-2012

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 ...

TV series ''

Insu, The Queen Mother ''Insu, the Queen Mother'' () is a 2011 South Korean historical television series, starring Chae Shi-ra, Hahm Eun-jung, Kim Young-ho, Kim Mi-sook, Baek Sung-hyun and Jeon Hye-bin. Focusing on the fierce power struggle among three women in the ro ...

''. * Portrayed by

Cha Ji-yeon Cha Ji-yeon is a South Korean actress and singer. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Scent of a Woman'', ''Taxi Driver'' and '' Remarriage & Desires''. She also appeared in movies ''The Treacherous'', '' Love, Lies'', ''Horror Stori ...

in the 2015 film ''

The Treacherous ''The Treacherous'' (; lit. "Treacherous Subject" or "Treacherous Retainer") is a 2015 South Korean period drama film directed by Min Kyu-dong. Plot The story of Joseon's tyrant king Yeonsan who exploits the populace for his own carnal pleasures ...

''. * Portrayed by

Lee Hanee Lee Hanee (; born March 2, 1983), also known as Honey Lee, is a South Korean actress, model, classical musician as well as beauty pageant titleholder where she represented her country at Miss Universe 2007. She has acted in several films and te ...

in the 2017 MBC TV series '' The Rebel''. * Portrayed by

Son Eun-seo Son Eun-seo (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 th ...

in the 2017

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, a ...

TV series ''

Queen for Seven Days ''Queen for Seven Days'' () is a South Korean television series starring Park Min-young as the titular Queen Dangyeong, with Yeon Woo-jin and Lee Dong-gun. It aired on KBS2 every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 ( KST) from May 31, 2017 to August ...

''.

References

* {{cite web, url=http://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000704245, script-title=ko:장녹수, 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 1506 deaths Royal consorts of the Joseon dynasty Executed Korean people Deaths by decapitation 16th-century executions 16th-century Korean women