HISTORICAL RECORDS OF 

SEONG DEOK-IM / ROYAL CONCUBINE UI-BIN

READ THIS FIRST:

THE STORY OF JEONGJO AND UIBIN 1

THE STORY OF JEONGJO AND UIBIN 2

UIBIN

The story of Seong Deok-im,Uibin Seong-ssi

 It's not often that a woman's name is left in history. It is usually remembered as "who's wife" and "who's daughter." In particular, there would be fewer opportunities for a court lady to leave her mark. In that sense, the story of Ui-bin, who became a woman of King Jeongjo from the success of a court lady, is short, but impressive in many ways. The story of Ui-bin, who rejected the king for 15 years and lived the life of a court lady, was also adapted into a novel and drama called "The Red Sleeve". In this exhibition, I would like to show you the story of the court lady Deok-im and Uibin Seong. In particular, "Kwakjangyangmunrok / The Story of Kwack and Jang" in which Deok-im transcribed, will be introduced for the first time. It will be an opportunity to check the records and relics related to Uibin's life. (1)

In the sunny spring of 1773, the red sleeve traces of court lady Seong Deok-im

Do you know what it means? It refers to the women who are soon to become a court lady. One spring day in 1773, Deok-im, a young court lady, wrote the novel "The Story of Kwack and Jang" with other court ladies. This is the only trace left by Ui-bin when she was a court lady. Another trace of Deok-im with the name of Ui-bin, who is located in Ijaenango. Women's articles of the Joseon Dynasty are treated if their names are handed down to date. Even the name of Queen or Queen Dowager rarely come out, but the name of the court lady Deok-im remains in writting. (2)

King Jeongjo wrote a manuscript "Junhyeongakilgi" at Gyeonghiugung Palace until he ascended the throne after being consecrated as a Crown Prince. Until the fifth year of his enthronement, he wrote his own manuscript, and later was called ""Ilseongrok" in the form of national manuscriptin which his subjects recorded the contents on behalf of the King. The first content of the "Junhyeongakilgi" manuscript began with the anonymous letter writing incident that took place in 1775, which was used as an opportunity for the first meeting between Deok-im in the novel and the library on Donggungjeon Hall on the first day of the new year. The Book on display is considered the manuscript. 

-THE STORY OF KWACK AND JANG

It is a novel depicting the story of two families, Kwack and Jang of China, written in Korean. This book is an unusual example in that princesses and court ladies in the palace (including later Uibin Seong) have transcribed 10 books. 

This is the oldest manuscript novel whose manuscript year has been confirmed. It is dated 1773. At the bottom, you can see an appendix that reads 'Uibin Seong-ssi' (3)

SEONG DEOK-IM / UI-BIN

(book 5,6)

"THE NOVEL OF KWACK AND JANG" 

WRITTEN BY PRINCESS CHEONGYEON AND PRINCESS CHEONGSEON

(book 1 & 2)

SON YOUNG-HEE

(book 3)

BAE KYUNG-HEE

(book 7-8)

KIM BOKYEON

(book 10)

WRITTEN BY UNKNOWN COURT LADY 

(book 4 & 9)

One day in 1782, at the end of a 15-year wait, from a court lady to a king's woman

For King Jeongjo, the only victory was the concubine. However, this was not only done by the king's choice. In fact, it was in 1767 that King Jeongjo first tried to give Deok-im a favor. After 15 years of waiting, King Jeongjo succesfully made Deok-im a member of his family in 1782. The beginning of Jeongjo and Deok-im seemed smooth. Soon after, she gave birth to his first son, became Yongsu (Concubine 3rd grade), and when her son was appointed as Crown Prince Mun Hyo, she became Ui-bin (Concubine 1st grade), and she also had a second child. But soon after, as the second child, Princess, died, a dark shadow seemed to cast on them.

-SEAL-

(4, 5)

According to the Annals, aside from being a Court Lady in Lady Hyegyeong's residence Uibin Seong did also worked as a Court Lady in the residence of Jeongjo's concubine, Hwabin Yun. (6)

-TOMB-

Q2. Where is the tomb and shrine of Uibin Seong? 

A2. Uibin Seong's tomb, as Uibin wished, was located near the tomb of Crown Prince Mun-hyo and currently the tomb of the Martyrs (Hereos). The Ui-bin Palace, a shrine dedicated to pray to the god, was abolished during the reign of King Sunjong and does not remain now. (7)

Uibinmyo Tomb, Seosamneung Cluster, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea

Located in Wondang-dong, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, it is a tomb of the Joseon Dynasty. It is called 'Seosamneung' because there are three royal tombs: Huireung, Hyoreung, and Yereung.

Uibin's Tomb is currently located on the 9th tomb beside Hwabin Yun on the 10th tomb and below on Wonbin Hong on the 8th tomb of  Hugungmyo/Royal Concubine's Tomb in Seosamneung. 

*Note: There are only 3 tombs on the row where Uibin's Tomb is located and has no tomb build in her right side. (8)

Deok-im was the third concubine of the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty, Jeongjo. It is now buried in the tombs of the concubines of Seosamneung. 

Designated as Historic Site No. 200 in 1970

Note: The color of Uibin's tomb varies from 4 seasons. 

Written document of Uibin's epitaph (어제의빈묘표지명)

Uibin Epitaph / Eulogy

November 7th 1786 (lunar calendar)

The majesty of Joseon prays for the bliss of deceased Uibin Seong’s soul.

"Ah! I am in grieve and feel terrible to let you go. When we lost our son, Crowned Prince Munhyo because of the disaster (referring to the measles, which was the pandemic back then), I never felt this sorrowful and cried so much. However, after the self-consolation and trying to find the peace of mind, the time has passed, and the seasons have changed. The grieves on our face disappeared and we talked and laughed as usually, as if we forgot what happened to us. But your death brought the sorrow and grieve back to me.

You are the mother of the late Crowned Prince Munhyo and the child you have impregnated seems to carry the same energy that our deceased Munhyo had. Although Munhyo never had the chance to see our child, Munhyo would have asked the baby to build the intimacy with his mother, treat her preciously and miss her every moment. Also, Munhyo would have expected the brothers to be very similar. The only way I could get over the sorrow and indescribable sense of grieve of losing him was to remind of Munhyo when looking at the newborn child. However, as you and our fetus have passed away suddenly, there is no scent and trace of Munhyo that I could reminisce anymore.

From now on, on whom should I rely on and from whom I should seek consolation for my dreadful and sorrowful heart? My sorrow now is worse than that of when we lost Munhyo as now, I not only feel sad for Munhyo’s loss but also for your loss as well.

You knew how exactly the concubine was supposed to be and the one who could be smarter and more brilliant than you would be the saint. Although your hierarchy was high, you knew how to behave and talk, and how to be frugal. For your exemplary conducts, you deserve the blessings and fortune but even before the tears you shed when we lost Munhyo got dried, you have passed away with the fetus. Your destiny is terribly sad and miserable. As you have wished for when you were alive, your funeral would be conducted right next to the tomb of our deceased Munhyo. As both your tombs are very close, your souls can leave after crying out the grieves together. Now I will seek my solace from the grief that you and I can’t never meet again.

I am sure you will feel sad knowing I cannot forget the sorrow of losing you. Don’t you?

I feel so sad. I hope you rest in peace."

Originally, she was buried about 100 steps from her son, Crown Prince Munhyo. The graves were called Hyochangmyo (효창묘, 孝昌墓), but during the 7th year of King Gojong's reign, the status of the tombs was raised to Hyochangwon (효창원, 孝昌園) (9)

King Jeongjo planted 26.000 trees in the graveyard,^[4] which is known today as "Hyochang Park" and is situated in Yongsan District, Seoul.

Records of the King leaving Uibin on a strange winter in 1786

In the year when Ui-bin passed away, King Jeongjo left a message in honor of Ui-bin. The writings that he wrote before Ui-bin's funeral sometimes seem to be holding back his sadness and somewhat seem to reveal his desperation. This inscription contains the heart of Jeongjo, who lost his only son, Prince Moon Hyo, and other children in a row, and even sent Ui-bin away. Some may think that it is the beauty of an expression of King Jeongjo's sweet love, and some may think that it is just a ritual writing. The king's writing remains, but the interpretation is now up to the reader.

"How can there be so many people like Bin in this world" -Jeongjo

*King Jeongjo's  called Uibin as Bin/Bin-a*

(Explaining that he cannot forgot and everything reminds him of Uibin.)

Jeongjo himself wrote <어제의빈치제제문> (Epitaph of Uibin), and reading the records reveals his heartbreak. In particular, he expresses regret, saying, 

“From now on, I have no place to entrust the affairs of the country.” 

Through this, it can be seen that the Uibin Seong was recognized as a helper of state affairs, not just a concubine for King Jeongjo. (10)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

PRINCESS 

MUNHYO

18th Century

"Jeongjo changed his name to have more sons"

study result showed that the pronunciation of the original name 'Lee San' (李san<示+示>) was changed to 'Lee Seong'. Professor Ahn said that Jeongjo changed the pronunciation of his name because he wanted to have many sons.

This situation can be confirmed in an article called Biyeonoecho (斐然外抄) left by Jang Ji-wan (張之琓.1806~?), a prominent scholar in the 19th century, Professor Ahn said. Jang Ji-wan, a prominent female writer at the time, in this article read Jeongjo's name as 'San', but after that, after an historical examination, he changed it to 'Seong' with the publication of Gyujang Jeonun. In the end, the original pronunciation of the name was 'San', At the time of changing the pronunciation of his name, Jeongjo had a precious child. (11, 12)

According to the record of <The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty>, King Jeongjo was truly delighted, saying, 

“I am fortunate to finally be called ‘father’.”

Crown Prince Munhyo is the first born child of King Jeongjo and Uibin Seong. This is the youngest crown prince in the history of the Joseon Dynasty. (14)

Crown Prince Munhyo's original name Yi Sun and bestowed Onhyo (溫孝) ater the admission, but was later renamed Munhyo. (15)

A Jade Buddha called Longevity Buddha given by Qing Emperor to King Jeongjo for the birth of his first son, Crown Prince Munhyo

When visiting Seunggasa Temple, there was a jade Buddha called Longevity Buddha, which was bestowed by the Qing emperor. Jangsujeon Hall is a newly built pavilion to house the jade Buddha. The story goes like this:

Jeongjo, who had no descendants with Queen Hyoui, finally gets Crown Prince Munhyo from the Court Lady, Uibin Seong. which is the youngest crown prince in the history of the Joseon Dynasty.

It would have been difficult to reject the jade Buddha sent from the Qing dynasty imperial family to pray for the crown prince's longevity, no matter how in a country that does not respect Buddhism. It was decided to reconstruct the Seunggasa Temple, which was almost destroyed, and place the jade Buddha there.

However, contrary to the expectations of the Qing dynasty, Crown Prince Munhyo died at the age of 5 and became the shortest crown prince in the history of the Joseon Dynasty. What a prank of fate. Today, there is no trace of Jangsujeon, and the whereabouts of the longevity Buddha, which is said to be contained in a glass case, is also unknown. (16)

In the spring of 1786, a plague swept Hanyang and cause the death of Munhyo and Uibin

The spring of Hanyang in 1786 could not be said to be beautiful. From March to June, measles and five other diseases (home disease, smallpox, 당진, 시기, 소증) swept Hanyang. The plague that sharply scratched Hanyang was inevitable even for Crown Prince Munhyo. Crown Prince Munhyo, who was only five years old, died of measles. Whether the sadness of sending the child away one after another became an illness, Ui-bin also followed with an unknown disease a month before the birth of her third child. It was about four months after Crown Prince Mun Hyo left.

Munhyo's medicine 

Before or around May 3,  the first signs of Crown Prince Munhyo's illness was recorded and eventually prescribe with medicines. 

All of these prescriptions are drugs with cold properties, but on the 8th day, it was judged that the disease was cured, so the administration (of medicine) was stopped. Jeongjo was overjoyed and rewarded the medical staffs. The next day everything was restored and the fever was gone, there was a report saying that he would not use any more medicine, and the doctor who had been working full time withdraw. However, two days later, the disease abruptly worsened, and Crown Prince Munhyo died the next day. How did this happen?

附子 (herbal medicine plant)

Ginseng 

The answer is found in the record of June 1, which contains an appeal that impeached the medical officer who prescribed ginseng and 附子 (herbal medicine) to the Crown Prince's measles. If we look at the contents, “Even in the case of the common people, when they got measles, they were prescribe a cold medicine, but in the case of Crown Prince Munhyo, he was prescribed ginseng and 附子 over 10 and 11 days.” And strangely, it even reveals the fact that this information had been omitted from the records of the court. It is only natural that Crown Prince Munhyo's fever symptoms worsened that he was administered not only with ginseng, but even another herbal medicine that have the strongest hot properties to a patient with high fever. (17)

-TOMB

A rubbing of the name of the memorial stone prepared while constructing the Hyochangmyo Shrine of Prince Munhyo, the son of King Jeongjo.

Crown Prince Uiso is King Jeongjo's older brother. The first son of Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyeong.

Crown Prince Munhyo's tomb is located at front of Crown Prince Uiso's tomb

Note: The color of Crown Prince Munyo's tomb varies from 4 seasons. 

TAESIL/ PLACENTA CHAMBER

Taesil refers to a stone chamber where the placenta and umbilical cord are buried when a child is born in the royal family.

*zoom in to view the map and informations* 

Crown Prince Munhyo’s Taesil was built in the 7th year of King Jeongjo’s reign (1783) and is located on the middle of the mountain behind Yongmunsa Temple, about 100m away.

This is the placenta chamber of Crown Prince Munhyo (1782-1786), the eldest son of King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800). In 1784, Crown Prince Munhyo was made heir to the throne, but in 1786, he died of measles.

A placenta chamber is where a nested jar containing a royal baby’s placenta and umbilical cord were enshrined. During the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), a newborn baby’s placenta was regarded as the origin of life, and preserving it would ensure a healthy, advantageous life for the child. Because this was especially important to the royal family, they took great effort to find the most auspicious place and time to build a placenta chamber. This ritual of placenta chamber construction is unique to Korea.

Munhyo's Placenta Jar

Original No. 548-14. Prince Jeongjo of Joseon Dynasty Crown Prince Munhyo Placenta Jar, Placenta Chamber. Yongmunsa Temple, Naji-ri, Yongmun-myeon, Yecheon-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Attach black paper around the glass surface. Some damage to the lower right corner and missing parts. (24)

Crown Prince Munhyo's Placenta Jar

King Jeongjo's placenta jar, 1st jar on the left side

거둥고개 / Geodunggogae 

King Jeongjo visited the tombs of Crown Prince Munhyo and the Uibin Seong several times, and for this reason, the name of the pass in Hyochang -dong, Yongsan -gu today was given the name 거둥고개 / Geodunggogae. (25)

홍예동 / Hong Ye-dong

This village was located in Singongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu , and was named after the village on the way to Hyochangwon, the tomb of Crown Prince Munhyo, the eldest son of King Jeongjo, who is now Hyochang Park, and his birth mother, Uibin Seong. The tomb of Hyochangwon is also called Hongyebun (紅霓墳) because it looks like a hongye (arch) from a distance.  (26)

묘소도감의궤 / Myoso Dogam Uigwe

A book about the construction of the tombs of the Crown Prince or Crown Prince during the Joseon Dynasty. It is "Crown Prince Munhyo's 묘소도감의궤", 2 books Manuscript in 1786 (10th year of King Jeongjo)

It seems that it was customary to change the name of the tombs of these Crown Princes as mausoleums, and then renamed them to Myo. Among the tombs listed above, the tomb of Crown Prince Munhyo in paragraph ⑥ was later renamed Hyochangwon (孝昌園), and in the case of other crown princes and crown princesses, all of the mausoleums were renamed Neung because they were later named King and Queen.

The composition and format of the "Munhyo 묘소도감의궤  " is distinguished from other Uigwe by classifying documents according to the nature of work. (27)

*Uibin died in Junghuidang hall, Changdeok Palace

King Jeongjo's personnel administration held at Junghuidang 

The king and his servants gathered in one place in the bitter cold of winter. On December 28, 1785, according to the lunar calendar, Jeongjo (reigned 1776-1800) personally held a bureaucratic greeting at Changdeokgung Junghuidang. Officials are wearing winter hats over Osamo, and the broad-leaved trees have bare branches, making it feel cold in the middle of winter. An empty chair in the center of the hall symbolizes the existence of the king. On the table is a booklet full of greetings and evaluations. Following King Jeongjo's poem yesterday, 19 servants sang a poem to praise the fairness of the king. The will of King Jeongjo that the future of the country is determined by the equal appointment and promotion of bureaucrats is shining in the bitter cold. 

King Jeongjo's personnel administration held at Junghuidang, author unknown, Joseon circa 1785-1786, color on paper, National Museum of Korea, Collection No. Main Building 10087 

Personnel Administration of King Jeongjo at Junghuidang Pavilion, Unidentified Artist, Joseon dynasty, ca. 1785 - 1786, Ink and color on paper, NMK (28) (29)

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 Oh Wan-cheol was called up several times for national events and was in charge of painting Crown Prince Munhyo's crowning ceremony & funeral as well as Crown Prince Sado. (30)

It is a painting depicting the ceremony of crowning, Crown Prince Munhyo, who was born to King Jeongjo and his concubine Uibin Seong. Although Crown Prince Munhyo was not the youngest, he was appointed Crown Prince as his eldest son, and he died early at the age of five. Part of《Prince Munhyo Chaekryebyeong. (31)

Junghuidang was built exclusively for Crown Prince Munhyo's Donggung Palace. There, Ui-bin dies. Jeongjo uses it as his office for the rest of his life. 32 

( Junghuidan )

ORIGINAL TOMB OF UIBIN AND CROWN PRINCE MUNHYO

HYOCHANG PARK

Originally, the site of the royal tomb was lush with pine trees, but in the 31st year of King Gojong (1894), just before the Sino Japanese War, the Japanese army damaged the beautiful pine forest here. (33)

Extra Readings 1

Extra Readings 2

Extra Readings 3