The red sleeves differences between the K drama and real history

Have you ever watched the currently airing K drama based on history on a popular novel, The Red Sleeve? Played by Lee Junho as King Jeongjo who was previously known as the crown prince of Yi San. Along with the main heroine, Lee Se Young as his co-star. Fun fact, it's the first drama of Lee Junho from 2 pm after his military enlistment. Lee Se young plays the beloved servant of King Jeongjo, Seong Duk I'm. The storyline of The Red Sleeve is taken from the true story of the history of the Korean kingdom of Joseon before it was divided into South Korea and North Korea

King Jeongjo lived in 1752–1800 AD. He is the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea. While ascending the throne, King Jeongjo made several attempts to reform the Joseon state in various fields. He is known as a wise and visionary king of Joseon who was successful and loved by his people. His vision for the kingdom's future especially about water management gives the kingdom prosperity in a future generation. King Jeongjo became heir to his grandfather King Yeongjo (1724–1776). Later he would be succeeded by his son King Sanjo (r. 1800–1834).

MBC’s The Red Sleeve maintains its top spot for three consecutive weeks. The drama, in general, is receiving favorable reviews, and especially, the actors’ passionate performances are getting rave reviews. Both of the main lead top the ranking of brand popularity in South Korea won over the more popular actors and actresses such as Song Hye Kyo.

“The Red Sleeve” dialogue has also been praised by fans. It is engaging, witty, and beautiful. Lines spoken by Lee Se Young’s character specifically have gained much attention from viewers. “The Red Sleeve” has become the first MBC drama in nearly 3 years to surpass the double digits in ratings and the drama has been steadily rising in popularity since its premiere to modest ratings.

BASED ON A NOVEL FROM A TRUE STORY

The drama The Red Sleeve is based on a novel called the red sleeve cuff, which tells the story of a love story between Crown Prince Yi San who will become King Jeongjo, and a concubine named Seong Duk im. Seong Duk Im will later become the royal consort of Sung Ui Bin.

Although it is based on a novel, the background story between King Jeongjo and Concubine Sung Ui Bin is a true story based on historical facts. Do you know that King Jeongjo needs to wait for 15 years and after 3 marriage proposals (2 rejections) to be able to get his love? In reality, Yi san already get a queen when he was 10 yrs old and the queen 9 yrs old.

Jeongjo (정조) - The 22nd King of Joseon real name Lee San (이산) was born in 1752.

There is no record of exactly when the two of them met, but it can be guessed when. Estimates recorded in the various articles differ. What is clear, the two of them first met before the age of 15, because according to King Jeongjo, he first confessed his feelings to Consort Uibin at the age of 15. As soon as he can bring a concubine to the palace, he asks Deok-im to be his concubine. There is a theory about how they first met: Crown prince Yi San has known Seong Duk Im since he was a child. At that time they met at the residence of Empress Yeong, who was Yi San's grandmother who died at that time. They first met when Lee San was little (before the age of 10), at Lady Hyegyeong's (Lee San's mother) house. As a child, Lee San often played at his mother's house.

Sung Yoon-woo (Deok-im's father), was the butler at Lee San's mother's house at the time, where the butler used to take his family to the employer's house for work. Judging from this, most likely Deok-im's childhood was spent at Lady Hyegyeong's house. One of the many factors that support this is Deok-im's older sister married Lady Hyegyeong's relative.

Red sleeves achievement 

Won 8 mbc drama award and get 17.4% viewership rating, included in top 10 highest ranking of 2021.

TOP 10 Popular TV Drama Series 

MBC The Red Sleeve (Share of Audience 24.65) ( – )

KBS The King’s Affection (Share of Audience 10.57) ( – )

tvN Happiness (Share of Audience 8.31) (▲2)

SBS Now, We Are Breaking Up (Share of Audience 7.73) (▽1)

KBS Young Lady and Gentleman (Share of Audience 7.44) (▽1)

tvN Jirisan (Share of Audience 5.58) ( – )

JTBC Reflection of You (Share of Audience 4.77) (▲1)

KBS School 2021 (Share of Audience 4.37) NEW

tvN Secret Royal Inspector & Joy (Share of Audience 4.20) (▽2)

tvN Melancholia (Share of Audience 4.02) (▽1)

TOP 10 Popular Casts in TV Drama Series 

Lee Se Young, The Red Sleeve (▲2)

Junho, The Red Sleeve (▲5)

Song Hye Kyo, Now, We Are Breaking Up (▽2)

Park Eun Bin, The King’s Affection (▽2)

Ji Hyun Woo, Young Lady and Gentleman ( – )

Jang Ki Yong, Now, We Are Breaking Up (▽2)

Rowoon, The King’s Affection (▽1)

Go Hyun Jung, Reflection of You ( – )

Han Hyo Joo, Happiness (▲1)

Lee Se Hee, Young Lady, and Gentleman (▲1)

(SHORT VERSION, if want to read a longer one, scroll below to bold text)

In the drama, it was shown that the two met by accident. Seong Duk Im had time to help Yi San to hide when the King who was his grandfather came. Because the King had forbidden Yi San to pay his last respects to the empress.

Seong Duk works at the crown prince's private library. She is known as a smart and cheerful girl. Several books have been written that even caught the attention of the King.

His kind and cheerful figure had captured Yi San's heart. The crown prince confessed his feelings for the first time in 14 years. Meanwhile, Sung Duk Im was 15 years old at that time. But Sung Duk Im refused. She felt that she was not ready to become a concubine. In her eyes, the life of a concubine is very shackled. Contrary to his character who wants to be free. But uniquely, even though he doesn't receive the crown prince's love, Seong Duk Im always tries to help and protect Yi San. She refused twice and even make the king angry.

In reality, as previously mentioned, Jeongjo first confessed his feelings to Uibin at the age of 14-15 years. Some say he stated DIRECTLY on Uibin without going through an intermediary. Jeongjo considered carefully and confessed his feelings face to face when it was just the two of them.

The official reason for rejection: Queen Hyoui (Jeongjo's wife) doesn't have children yet, so Deok Im doesn't dare to accept Seungeun. But it's hard to know the personal reasons of Deok Im, as the record is written from Jeongjo's perspective.

Many things have happened since Jeongjo's first rejection of feelings. 9 years later, Jeongjo ascended the throne in 1776 at the age of 24. Even after rejecting Seungeun Jeongjo, Deok Im still lives in the palace. As shown in the drama, Deok im wrote a novel with Jeongjo's sisters, Princess Cheongyeon and Cheongseon. Meanwhile, during that time, Jeongjo spent a stormy period in his life.

It was recorded at Ilseongnok on February 21, 1780, Queen Jeongseon (wife of King Yeongjo, in that year her status as Grand Queen Dowager Yesun) asked Jeongjo to bring a concubine. Jeongjo objected to this, though eventually accepted the Queen's request. In February 1780 a new concubine was elected for the King because Queen Hyoui was barren and her previous concubine (Concubine Wonbin Hong) died. Lady Yun was appointed Hwabin Yun's Concubine at the age of 15. He is the son of Yun Chang-yun, who has a relationship with a politician named Hong Guk-young, the older brother of Consort Wonbin Hong.

Unlike Jeongjo's other concubines; they were selected through selection and entered the palace through that selection, Deok Im who was a former lady-in-waiting became the concubine of Seungeun whom she accepted.

In 1780 Jeongjo confessed his feelings to Deok Im again. Even though he was rejected the first time, he still has the same feelings for Deok Im. In 1780, Jeongjo is over 32 years old where consort Hwabin herself is 12 years younger than Deok Im. But His interest is still in Deok Im. So Jeongjo doesn't like Deok Im because she's young, not because of lust. He also doesn't force his love to Doek Im even his status as a king and a slave maid. A few years later Yi San asked deck im to marry again. But again she refused.

However, the current Jeongjo is not the old Jeongjo. He did not remain silent but instead punished other slaves, because he could not punish Deok Im, the woman he loved (Jeongjo wrote himself about this punishment in his diary about his love to Deok Im after her passing).

Until the third proposal, when Yi San was 30 years old and Sung Duk Im 29 years old, then the proposal was accepted. Seong Duk Im however couldn't deny the fact that he also loved Yi San. Yi San married Duk im after being crowned King. There are rumors that Lady Hyegyeong is actively acting as a bridge between the two, so Deok Im is willing to accept Seungeun from Jeongjo. It's not strange how Lady Hyegyeong found out about this, seeing Jeongjo's mess of punishing the slaves for no apparent reason.

It took him 15 years before his love was welcomed by Seong Duk Im. They finally got married. Seong Duk Im is the concubine of Sung Ui Bin. According to historical records, King Jeongjo ascended the throne in 1776 when he was 24 years old. He was only blessed with descendants after 6 years of ascending the throne or after he married Concubine Seong Ui Bin.

His first son was Prince Munhyo. The queen make ui bin her adopted child since she was childless and make him crown prince. The first child of Seong UI Bin's concubine lives as the crown prince. Two years later, Seong Ui Bin gave birth again. This time it was a daughter who finally died at a young age. Tragic fate also befell little Prince Munhyo. He also died at the age of 4. Prince Munhyo's departure makes the kingdom mourn because he is the only prince there is. This condition is very influential on the kingdom. People are looking forward to Concubine Seong Ui Bin's third pregnancy. Feeling the need to give offspring to the king, Seong Ui Bin then became pregnant for the third time. He was very much loved by King Jeongjo. Beyond his love for the empress. the other royal families also love him for successfully giving heirs to King Jeongjo. But unexpectedly, in this third pregnancy Ui Bin is not as strong as before. He fell ill and eventually died. Maybe due to her age as she was already almost 40 and it is hard for women to give birth in the past.

Seong UI Bin's concubine died without giving birth to her third child. Her life ended in just 4 years of becoming the king's concubine.

The death of Concubine Seong Ui Bin and his children was a huge blow to King Jeongjo. The king continued to mourn for quite a long time. He made Concubine Seong Ui Bin's residence his workplace. King Jeongjo wrote an epitaph in memory of Concubine Seong Ui Bin. It contains a long record of their love journey until the king's sadness after being left by his lover.

After 3 years of mourning, because he is still childless, king Jeong Joo was forced to get new heirs, thus he later starts his new life with other consorts which later give him heirs and 2 more children. 

For a more detailed timeline as follows: (contains how much each other love, especially the king)

Although there were a lot of records about Seong Uibin by Jeongjo himself, the government officials working at the court at that time, and even in the Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong, there was no record of when they exactly met each other. However, it could be estimated despite the difference between the records, and it is clear that they first met before the first confession when Jeongjo was 15 and Uibin was 14. As soon as he was officially allowed to take in a concubine, he proposed to Uibin.

Jeongjo first confessed his feelings to Uibin when they were 15 and 14 respectively. From what he wrote, it seems that the proposed to her personally rather than using a messenger. Normally, when a court maid is about to receive the king’s grace, the court lady working for him would be informed about the king’s intention for the court maid to be escorted to the king’s bed-chamber to serve him. It was not known whether Lady Hyegyeong or her daughters ever knew about Jeongjo and Uibin’s close relationship at that time. The official reason for rejection: Queen Hyoui had not given birth to a child yet, so she would not dare to receive his grace.

Both Lady Hyegyeong and Queen Hyoui were her superior, with Lady Hyegyeong being Jeongjo’s birth mother and Queen Hyoui being his official consort. From Uibin’s point of view, it must have had been tough for her to suddenly be at the receiving end of a proposal from someone who waited until he was 15 to ask them to be together. Still, rejecting a king or a crown prince’s request would mean death to that person, but she might have trusted Jeongjo not to kill her when she rejected him. Well, only Uibin herself would know the real reason for her decision. A court maid was considered the king’s woman regardless of her receiving the king’s grace or not and she could never get married to another man. It was almost impossible to find a court maid who had rejected a king or crown prince’s advances, not to mention one with her reason being the ground for rejection. With Jeongjo’s high status, it was possible and permissible for him to force his way on her. Jeongjo decided to take a step back, because he either cherished Uibin so much, or that he decided to respect her intention. “I understood your intention, so I didn’t press the matter further.”

There was no way for someone so learned about Confucianism like Jeongjo to be unaware of that fact, yet it was quite surprising to see how frank he was when he proposed to Uibin right after completing his coming-of-age ceremony. There were a lot of kings who did not take in concubines when they were still the crown prince so that they wouldn’t offend their superior. It was taboo for one to covet something or someone belonging to his superior since it was considered unfilial. It could be that he was blinded by love at that moment, although his life was not necessarily a bed of roses during that time.

There was no way of knowing what exactly happened between them after the first proposal. But then, there were traces of what was happening around them afterward. Jeongjo weathered so many happenings in between the first proposal and his enthronement at the age of 25, while Uibin continued to serve as a court maid and even transcribed a novel with Jeongjo’s sisters, Princesses Cheongyeon and Cheongseon. Jeongjo’s life at that time was full of ups and downs.

Being trapped as the object of obsession of his aunt, Princess Dhawan.

While Jeongjo was living apart from his mother Lady Hyegyeong to stay by Yeongjo’s side, Princess Hwawan played the mother part, to the point of driving a wedge between Jeongjo and Queen Hyoui’s relationship, hence being the reason why Queen Hyoui did not have a good marital harmony with Jeongjo. She monitored him closely, waiting to catch if he happened to look at the court maids and find a liking in any of them. Jeongjo disliked her adopted son, Jeong Hu-gyeom, which made him and his aunt drift apart in the end.

Grew close with Hong Guk-young, Kim Jong-su, Seo Myeong-seon, and Jeong Min-si (aka members of Dongdeokhoe). 

Hong Guk-young was Jeongjo’s right-hand man and was like his brother, being 4 years older. Meeting as a teacher and student, they grew closer. To the lonely Jeongjo who spent his whole life studying and alienating himself from the outside world, Hong Guk-young was like Jeongjo’s eyes, hands, and legs. 

Growing distant from his maternal family. 

Especially Hong In-han, who was the step-brother of Hong Bong-han, Lady Hyegyeong’s father. Hong Bong-han himself incurred Jeongjo’s hate when he admitted that he was close with his step-brother. Jeongjo was also displeased upon learning that Lady Hyegyeong’s younger brother Hong Nagim was close friends with Jeong Hu-gyeom. Lady Hyegyeong also said that her father Hong Bong-han used to be close with the family of Queen Jeongsun before, but the two families became enemies once Queen Jeongsun became Yeongjo’s consort. In the end, it was also thanks to Queen Jeongsun’s brother, Kim Kwi-ju’s endless impeachments that Hong Bong-han ended up being pushed off his position in the court. Being the object of scrutiny and feeling the immense pressure of having Sado as his father, bearing him the title of ‘the criminal’s son. People might have viewed Jeongjo’s reaction to the attacks he received during his Crown Prince days and early reign as overly sensitive, but one can only imagine how stressful it was for Jeongjo at that time, with the legitimacy of the Joseon throne hanging on his head. 

The title of ‘Sado’s son’ was both a plus and minus point for Jeongjo until the end of his life. Even in this modern world, the name Crown Prince Sado is still like a hot potato. Was there any other king of Joseon with a tragic family history like Jeongjo? He grew up witnessing his mentally unstable father and his mother who was a victim of domestic abuse ever since he was younger. When he was 11, he had to witness his father’s death with his own eyes. When Jeongjo moved Sado’s tomb and made his bow, he almost passed out from too much crying. His endless effort to honor his late father was not only because of his filial piety; Jeongjo was well aware that his mere existence is the cause of his father’s dead (as substitute heirs). Perhaps, he saw himself as being indebted to his father.

It was clear, judging from Jeongjo’s whole life; he did not pay much attention to the other concubines.

In Jeongjo’s first year as the king (1776): you can skip this, no romance involves eubin, yet give the background story to jeungjo.

He ordered Princess Hwawan to kill herself 

He sent Jeong Hu-gyeom into exile before sentencing him to death by poisoning He also did the same thing with Hong In-han 

He interrogated his maternal uncle Hong Nagim himself under the suspicion of conspiring with Jeong Hu-gyeom.

He sent Queen Jeongsun’s brother Kim Kwi-ju into exile.

His maternal grandfather Hong Bong-han was denounced by Kim Kwi-ju multiple times and by the time Jeongjo ascended the throne, his influence was almost gone; 

Hong Guk-young exerts influence on the court using his status as Jeongjo’s right-hand man. His action caused him to be driven out in Jeongjo’s third year of reign before he died in his early 30s. The appeal written by Kim Jong-su suggesting Hong Guk-young be kicked out was Jeongjo’s idea. According to the Memoirs, Jeongjo’s relationship with his maternal family turned out better after Hong Guk-young was gone. He even exchanged letters and helped them.

Hong Guk-young’s sister, Lady Hong Wonbin, was Jeongjo’s first selected concubine, but she died in 1789, less than a year after she entered the palace. Lady Yoon Hwabin was the second selected concubine, entering the palace in 1780. Both of them were chosen through official selection and had a royal wedding ceremony. Even after her death, Lady Hong Wonbin continued to be honored; her tomb was given the name ‘won’, which was reserved for a concubine who had given birth to the next king, which was second highest after the tomb name ‘being’ reserved for the king and queen. However, her tomb was later reduced to the status of ‘myo’. The ‘rankless’ Bin simply implies that the titleholder would be the person to give birth to the next reigning king.

Back to the romance story

When the second selection for the concubine was about to be held, Jeongjo voiced his reluctance to give his permission, but with the issue of heir at bay, he could not avoid allowing the selection to take place. Lady Yoon Hwabin was a relative of Jeongjo’s courtier, Shin Myeong-seon, and she entered the palace in 1780. There was a rumor about Uibin being a court maid of Lady Yoon at that time, but there was no way of confirming the truth. Uibin was 12 years older than Hwabin.

Jeongjo proposed to Uibin for the second time in 1780, so it was clear that despite the first rejection, his intention to make her his concubine and his feelings towards her never changed. Both of them would be considered middle-aged in a few years since in that era, crossing 30s would be the same as people who have reached 40s. this second time around, Uibin rejected Jeongjo again. How could she accept him, when there was a concubine who was carefully selected to produce an heir recent? From her point of view, she was still in the same conflicting position as the first proposal.

But he was no longer the powerless Grand Heir. He was, after all, the most influential and the wealthiest man, the King of Joseon. Be it the mighty or crawling courtiers, their lives could end with one word from him. In the end, he was still unable to change the heart of the person he loved and made him punish her servant. Jeongjo was rejected twice by a court maid and he had to wait for 15 years until he accepted her. From Jeongjo’s point of view, his status would enable him to take in a woman he liked as a concubine forcefully, but the fact that Uibin made him wait for that long without being punished only proved how deep his love was for her. She was the only woman Jeongjo chose willingly in his lifetime.

For Uibin’s name and the details of her relationship with the king to be included in the personal diaries and records written by officials who held office like the Rough Drafts, it was enough to show that she was being the talk of the court at that time. It was a rare occurrence for a royal woman’s name to be recorded. It was surprising to see so many people at that time being so interested in the king’s private life. But then, they probably had the grounds to do so, considering that the king was almost a middle-aged man but still without any heir yet and it was a pressing matter deserving of the worries of the court.

The heir everyone was waiting for was finally bestowed by the Heavens in the 6th year of Jeongjo’s reign through the court maid Lady Seong uibin. This was also the first mention of Lady Seong in the Veritable Records. Jeongjo was always reserved and did not even approach any woman before, and unlike other kings, he did not even take in any favored concubine of his own. All his concubines before Lady Seong was concubines selected from noble families, intending to produce air for the royal family. But then, there was no exact record of when Lady Seong exactly received grace and most people only found out about her relationship with Jeongjo after she gave birth to her child. The one that the king thoroughly protected and kept hidden from other people’s attention was no other than Uibin. It was a special thing indeed. In order not to bring over any issue regarding the heir, he did not even lay a hand on other women after Uibin became his concubine. While Uibin was still alive, Jeongjo did not even have any other woman in his heart.

The rough draft of Ijae: (written in history)

Lady Seong soyong's name was Deok-im. Her father was Hong Bong-man's steward, and it was through this connection that she entered the palace as Lady Hyegyeong’s court maid. Lady Hyegyeong adored her, and the king too loved her. She was allowed into the king’s personal space in the palace and later got pregnant. When Lady Hyegyeong informed her son Jeongjo about this news, the king smiled silently. The birth mother of Prince Royal (Crown Prince Munhyo) was Lady Seong soyong. Her father used to be Hong Bong-man's steward and also the father of Hong Nak-seong’s concubine. He later got a management post at the district office but was swept under the suspicion of embezzlement and he almost died in the process. Lady Hyegyeong then took the young Lady Seong under her wings and Lady Seong started to serve her. Lady Seong grew up and Jeongjo started to pursue her seriously. She also lost her father around that time, while her brothers held office as a petty military officer. It was a fortunate thing that both Jeongjo and Queen Hyoui were gentle and warm around her. The heir was born, but the officials could not ask for the heir to be named out of consideration for Hwabin, who still had not given birth at that time. But then, once the officials made their plea, Jeongjo agreed to it.

The king’s word to show his interest toward uibin:

‘I don’t have any court maid I’m interested in; this was not an embarrassing matter to previous kings who were wise, so members of the court should take heed of my words.’ ‘I don’t have any interest in things like music, pleasure, or hunting. I don’t like the eunuchs or concubines by nature; even when I don’t distance myself from them, I naturally grow distant from them. Other than books, nothing can cheer me up during my free time.’

The Rough Drafts written during Jeongjo’s early reign showed that no court maid had caught his attention. But then, the record of a pregnant court maid suddenly appeared in 1780. This would be the first unofficial record about Seong Uibin. She was also the only concubine who had a king personally write down his love story for her and confess his undying affection for her. Uibin is pregnant right away after the king gives her grace. A concubine’s title would normally be suggested by an official. The title of the concubine would be recorded along with the name of the person who suggested it. However, there was no name recorded in the Veritable Records of Jeongjo for the person who suggested Uibin’s title. But the trace was found in the Diary of the Royal Secretariat. Jeongjo asked for suggestions from his courtiers and they did give him some, but in the end, he decided on it himself. The word ‘ui’, carrying the meaning of beauty, harmony, precious, appropriate, mild, and gentle.

Some prestige uibin get:

Concubines would not be able to meet their relatives who did not work in the palace, but Uibin was allowed to meet her family. Her poor brothers were given money among other things. Her family tombs were moved because of the unsuitable location.

However, Jeongjo himself wrote that Uibin refused to accept everything he offered above; she also did not accept his offer to posthumously honor her parents and Jeongjo’s suggestion to give a position to her brothers. Although she was known to be generous, she did not dare to distribute the wealth she gained through her rank as a concubine to her family members.

She probably tried to protect people around her as much as she could while serving her superior Queen Hyoui with modesty and respect. Despite receiving immense love from the king, Uibin probably had so many things she had to watch out for, hence her status does not necessarily mean that she could be content with it. Perhaps, she had her share of worries unbeknownst to anyone. (Only her knows, the epitaph is written by Jeongjo, so only his perspective was known as history)

The king’s word

“Uibin had two brothers who were so poor that it was difficult for them to survive. Hence, I thought of helping them. But then, Uibin said to me, ‘Official positions were not something to be given carelessly in the first place.’’

 ‘Uibin is always grieving, so I bestowed upon her warm meals, silk, and cotton; despite that, she was unwilling to accept them. I followed her intention to be frugal, but she would always be generous towards people in the palace who were poor and living difficult lives.’

Note: The death rate of children was high in Joseon at that time.

1780 – pregnancy (miscarriage) 

1781 – pregnancy (miscarriage) 

1782 – the birth of their first child Crown Prince Munhyo 

1783 – the birth of their second child, a princess 

1784 – the death of the princess and Crown Prince was formally invested as the Crown Prince

1785-1786 – another pregnancy 

She spent 2 years as a special court lady before she received an official rank for a concubine after giving birth to Munhyo. When her son was invested as the Crown Prince, she was raised to the senior first rank of Bin. The king could be free to visit his favored concubine every single day. Uibin’s life right before her passing was a repetitive cycle of pregnancy and childbirth. Each level of the rank for the concubines had their task at hand, the responsibility which came with the stipend they received. If Jeongjo happened to abandon Uibin after she received his grace, then she would never rise to the rank of Bin ever. Her rise through the ranks, despite being formally declared as a concubine after three years, was still considered a fast route. Without the king’s intention of raising her status, a favored concubine would not have any guarantee for her rank in the system. For someone who received immense love from the king and even gave birth to children in succession, Uibin probably took the initiative of being frugal and modest. Jeongjo probably loved Uibin even more because of her personality like this, but he would feel bad for her.

“Upholding simplicity is not about saving your wealth in a box; it’s about being frugal with your luck.”

Uibin kept refusing Jeongjo’s offer and he still wanted to do something for her family, hence the promotions offered to her slightly distant relatives. Maybe it was also a way for Jeongjo to protect Uibin and Munhyo from scrutiny since it would make people talk if he happened to raise the status of her immediate family. It was a widely known fact that Uibin’s brother was removed from his position after she became a concubine, but not many people realized that he was appointed as an internal officer during Munhyo’s investiture as Crown Prince.

When Munhyo was born: “I am beyond elated to be able to hear the word father at last. I am sure that this occasion will continue to happen In the future as well.”

Jeongjo ordered the construction of the future residence of Munhyo one day after his son was born. The building would later be known as Junghui Hall in Changdeok Palace. One of the Royal Protocols related to Munhyo was the document for his investiture ceremony as the Crown Prince in 1784 held in Junghuidang. He was among the youngest to be made the Crown Prince, following the likes of Gyeongjong and Crown Prince Sado. This is just another proof of Jeongjo’s love and anticipation for his son.

Two months after being born, Munhyo was officially declared Prince Royal (wonja – early title for future Crown Prince). His birth mother Lady Seong was later bestowed with the rank Bin with the title Ui, hence to be referred to as Uibin. Her title Ui was personally chosen by Jeongjo himself. Uibin soon became pregnant with a child again and gave birth to a princess in 1784. It was a happy occasion for Jeongjo to have a daughter after gaining a son, which made him complete as a father. But then, tragedy soon befell the family when the young princess passed away two months after being born. At that moment, Uibin was away to nurse her health back to normal after giving birth. It was painful for both Uibin and Jeongjo to lose their daughter. To console Uibin, Jeongjo gave her presents and in the 7th month of the same year, he officially installed Munhyo as his heir. The relationship of Jeongjo and Uibin continued to be good, which resulted in another pregnancy in 1786.’

At the time of Munhyo’s birth, Jeongjo was also dealing with the issue of Hwabin’s Delivery (giving birth), so the declaration was pushed to two months later. She later gives birth to a daughter where eunbin is a son, thus making her exile due to tradition.

When Uibin gave birth to Munhyo, she first received the title of soyong. The courtiers appealed for a formal congratulations to be offered to Jeongjo, but they had to be mindful of Hwabin since she was expected to give birth around that time. Hwabin’s family was visited by so many people due to their status as royal-in-laws.

Jeongjo had a total of four royal concubines; Lady Hong Wonbin, Lady Yoon Hwabin, Lady Park Subin, and Lady Seong Uibin. The highest status a court maid could achieve was to become the middle class. Except for the likes of Lady Jang Huibin. Based on Jeongjo’s records, Uibin’s family was a ruined middle-class family, which made her and Jeongjo two people from different worlds.

Uibin’s Delivery Office (hosancheong) was lower than that of Hwabin (sansilcheong), but hers was planned one month from her expected delivery date. Normally, even the queen’s Delivery Office would be set up on the due date itself. Her residence Yeonhwadang Hall was the second-highest in status (the name ‘dang’ was below king’s residence ‘jeon’ in status) and she began living there from her days as a special favored court lady. Jeongjo was very strict when it came to the difference in status according to Confucianism, but this was a very huge discrepancy. Normally, the matters of residence for concubines would be decided by Inner Court (Dowager/Queen) but for this kind of special treatment, it was impossible without the king’s approval…so it was Jeongjo who decided on it.

Looking at Jeongjo’s words, it was clear how happy his life was with Uibin; they would have a lot of conversations, and it seems that Uibin would always be there to talk with him, laughing and having a good time together. They also drink together frequently and celebrated Uibin’s birthday with a banquet. They would rely on each other during difficult times. These days might be the happiest for Jeongjo when he was living in pure bliss. The person he wished to spend his life with was now beside him, and the birth of his son solved the issue of heir plaguing his court.

In Jeongjo’s eyes, Uibin was no different than a goddess lol but people around her also adored her, due to her generous and thoughtful self. Jeongjo described her as being perfect in everything; from her unforgettable face to her mood, energy, competence, values, behavior, and relationship with other people, to her conduct, natural qualities, and intelligence. He would wonder how someone amazing like her was born in a humble family like hers. (In short: the king is blinded by love) Even Lady Hyegyeong herself praised Uibin’s beauty.

DEATH: A TRAGEDY 

Unfortunately, their bliss did not last forever. Crown Prince Munhyo passed away after contracting measles at the age of 5. 

When he first went down with the illness, a special infirmary was set up to cure him and he actually got better, hence the office was disbanded and the officials rewarded. However, Munhyo’s condition took a turn for the worse and he did not survive. 

On a funeral day, Jeongjo cried while sending his young son off. He was there at the burial site, together with Uibin. Seeing Uibin cry sorrowfully at their child’s tomb, was just the beginning of Jeongjo’s lifelong effort in studying and implementing policies to combat measles among the citizens. 

After Munhyo’s passing, Uibin was devastated. It soon manifested into an ailment itself and she was bedridden; in the end, she had to be sent outside the palace to recover from her illness.

King's word:

 “My wife’s heart has grown weak and shows symptoms of a heart ailment. She becomes seriously ill from the 5th month onwards and she was sent to the main palace for a respite.” 

Munhyo’s death became a huge blow to Uibin mentally, to the point of her becoming seriously ill. She spent her time in respite at the Gyeonghui Palace. After staying there for two months, she returned to Changdeok Palace in the 9th month. At that time, Uibin was heavily pregnant with a child. Her body was so weak that it left people wondering about the possibility of her giving birth in that state. To ensure Uibin’s recovery, Jeongjo spent his time beside her. When it was time for her to take the medicine, he would personally inspect the medicine and even took care of the medicine bags and bowls himself. 

Jeongjo was recorded to visit Gyeonghui Palace himself during the time he was living away from Uibin. He even watched over her when she washed. But then.. a few months after Munhyo’s death, Uibin succumbed to her illness and passed away in Junghuidang while she was still pregnant.

There was no exact reason for her death and people were talking about it. Even in the Veritable Records, her cause of death was only written as an unknown illness. 

There were talks about toxemia being the cause, but there were also views that she was mentally shocked with the death of her children. There was also suspicion of poisoning. 

In the end, Jeongjo lost the person he loved the most in his entire life to an unknown illness. After Uibin’s death, Jeongjo completely lost his will. He only ordered for the funeral to be conducted following the rites used for Lady Seonhui (Yi Yeongbin) in the year 1764. The burial was carried out two months later, and the records were mostly empty around that time. 

Lady Hyegyeong expressed concerns for Jeongjo’s health after Uibin’s death in her Memoirs and the Rough Drafts also mentioned Jeongjo crying sadly and the courtiers consoling him, pleading for him to take care of his health. ‘Unlike kings preceding him, Jeongjo did not mention much about his Queen or his concubines (compared to King Sejong who mentioned Queen Soheon affectionately and expressed his warmth towards his concubine Lady Kim Shinbun).

Among the women around Jeongjo, Uibin was the most mysterious one, yet she was the most loved by him. She was also the person who gave birth to Jeongjo’s first child. The way Jeongjo described her death as ‘losing a place to depend on when it comes to nation’s fate’ showed how huge the blow was to him. 

Jeongjo was widely known as the king who never showed his emotions and even his courtiers did not have an inkling of his innermost thoughts. Even the modern scholars did not know about his true nature until the appearance of his secret letters exchanged with Shim Hwan-ji, which were discovered in 2009. Except for his devoted filial piety towards his parents, there was no mention of his emotions in his official records (Veritable Records and Diary of the Royal Secretariat). The only mention of his feelings toward a woman was only about Uibin. 

Jeongjo personally prepared the written prayers and epitaph for Uibin. What Jeongjo wrote for Uibin was probably the only of its kind; words of a king not from the viewpoint of history but his heart, about the woman he loved. Not only did he write the entire love story of him in the epitaph for her, but he also wrote down himself, the word ‘I love you in it. As someone who knew best the importance of record-keeping, Jeongjo might have wished that her memories of Uibin in his heart would not just disappear, hence he left behind numerous writings containing records of Uibin. 

It was a very rare occurrence for a king to personally write an epitaph for his concubine. In addition to the epitaph and the written prayers, Jeongjo would write something on the memorial of her death anniversary. 

‘I used to smile while looking at you, but now there is only silence inside the palace.’ 

‘Why are you there, buried in a place where there is no one around? Please come back to the palace.’

Even after the 3-year mourning period ended, he continued to do so. Even after her death, Uibin continued to be received the treatment reserved for a concubine who gave birth to a king. She was the only concubine in the entire history of Joseon to receive that honor. When Jeongjo finally welcomed another son, Sunjo in 1790.

he even told Uibin about that through his writings He could not even follow her to death. That was how broken Jeongjo was, longing for the only person he could love without any political motive behind it.

After Uibin died in 1786, Lady Park Subin was the selected concubine brought into the palace to bear an heir for the nation. She entered the palace at the age of 16; the selection was just a formality as she was picked through an internal decision. Subin’s family was related to Queen Jeongseong. Her natal clan Bannam Park was an illustrious one. In other words, her family was in a better situation compared to Queen Jeongsun and Lady Hyegyeong at the time they joined the royal family.

When Uibin was still alive, Jeongjo was thinking of having only her as the mother to his children. However, after her death, Jeongjo might have grown closer to Queen Hyoui per Uibin’s wish on her deathbed. Because of this, Queen Hyoui showed signs of pregnancy in 1787 and Jeongjo was elated; however, it turned out to be a false pregnancy and the rumor of her being infertile might be true.

Consort Hwabin was still alive in the palace, but there were so many issues regarding her family. Judging from her death, which was recorded to be inside the palace too, she was not forced to leave the palace, but rumor has it that she was confined to her palace. After the record about the issue of her pregnancy (daughter) and Delivery Office, there would be no further record of Hwabin until the mention of her death.

So, he decides to bear an heir with a lady sub in. Subin gave birth to Sunjo in 1790 and another princess later. Subin gave birth to a princess (Sukseon) and this would the last of Jeongjo’s children. The 7-year gap between the princess’ birth and Jeongjo’s death was a huge one, he can get more children, but strangely, there was no other child in the royal family. This might mean after he finished his duty as king to get an heir, he has no desire to get another child anymore.

From the letters he exchanged with his trusted subjects in his later years, it seemed that Jeongjo only switched between working and studying all the time, even forgetting to sleep every day. He did not eat much and did not want to spend his free time doing nothing. Even when he was so busy with his official duties, Jeongjo would always read books and celebrate finishing a book by requesting meals to be prepared by his mother. Aside from that, he would be writing book summaries and exchanging letters.

Unfortunately, he died at a young age without seeing much of his progress work or result. There are conspiracy theories about his sudden death, but some historians said that the possibility of him getting poisoned was low, as in his recent letters before his death (1 year before his death) at age 47 years old, in the letter he has shown his concern about his health several occasion (Plausible: long time illness, probably due to sadness of missing his love one)

Things that Jeongjo did after Uibin’s death: 

The place where Uibin passed away, Junghuidang (which was supposed to be the Crown Prince’s residence for Munhyo), was not given to the next Crown Prince; instead, Jeongjo himself continued to use the building as his work office. The name would be mentioned so many times in the records over the years since Jeongjo would meet the officials there too, and the last mention of Junghuidang was a few days before his death. Jeongjo held a memorial for Uibin together with the people he wanted to honor.

One of Jeongjo’s life goals was to honor his father Sado, and the honor of Lady Yi Yeongbin . This special treatment would not be possible without special permission from the king himself. His son Sunjo too would continue to honor Uibin himself, knowing that she was a precious person to his father. A Crown Prince and a royal concubine couldn't be interred in the same area, but Jeongjo built Munhyo and Uibin’s tombs next to each other. Munhyo was considered a royalty, while Uibin was of the Sr. 1 rank, lower than him. 

Even the naming system for members of the royal family and the consorts varied according to their status. But then, Jeongjo buried them beside each other and planted so many trees to turn their tombs into a splendid area. The spirit tablets of Crown Prince Munhyo and Uibin were enshrined in the same shrine, which was as the above situation, would not be acceptable in ordinary situations considering their difference in status.

 Munhyo’s shrine was supposed to be built together with Sado’s shrine, but the sudden death of Uibin caused the change of plan. Jeongjo intended to let the mother and son protect each other in the afterlife by letting them rest eternally in the same place. To build the shrine for Munhyo and Uibin, Jeongjo paid a hefty price to buy the land between Changdeok Palace and Gyeongbok Palace, where two of his officials were staying at. The reason for him to spend so much money was for him to put their tablets at a place nearby Changdeok Palace so that he could visit them regularly.

 Jeongjo visited their tombs too frequently, to the point of having the path he took to reach the place being called ‘Royal Procession Pass’. The name is still used today for a road nearby the area. Jeongjo did visit the tombs until a few months before Sunjo’s birth, but the visit stopped after that. Maybe Jeongjo wanted to avoid the sentiment of Sunjo being regarded as his second son. But then, the memorial he carried out for Uibin was following the rites for a concubine who gave birth to a king… Even if he could not personally visit them, Jeongjo would personally write the words he wanted to convey and ordered his office to visit in his stead. 

Their tombs were mentioned nearly 200 times in the Diary of the Royal Secretariat. Jeongjo mentioned Uibin’s shrine almost 300 times in the Diary and more than 100 times in the Diary of Self-Reflection. He even spent the night at Uibin’s shrine in 1790.

What do you think about their story?

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