Royal Consort Suk of the Choe clan (; fl. 14th century), personal name Choe Yong-deok () was a Korean Royal Consort as the 4th wife of

King U of Goryeo U (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled Goryeo (Korea) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. He was the only son of King Gongmin. Cultural background In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had invaded China and established the Yuan dyn ...

Biography

Yong-deok, also known as Kayaji (), was the daughter of Choi Cheon-geom and his concubine. Born into the ''

nobi ''Nobi'' were members of the slave class during the Korean dynasties of Goryeo and Joseon. Legally, they held the lowest rank in medieval Korean society. ''Nobi'' were considered property or personal property, chattel, and could be bought, s ...

'' class, she worked in the ''Tongjewon'' () before becoming a palace lady in the service of Royal Consort Ui of the No clan. In the 10th year of

King U U (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled Goryeo (Korea) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. He was the only son of King Gongmin. Cultural background In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had invaded China and established the Yuan dy ...

's reign, the king began to visit her daily and lavish more attention on her than her mistress.''Goryeosa'', vol. 135, Biographies: vol. 48. King U: Month 10, Year 10. After court eunuchs pointed out that Yong-deok's home was too small and shabby to host the king, it was arranged that Yong-deok would live in the house of a courtier nearer the palace. Yong-deok was invested as Royal Consort Suk () only one month after the king first visited her house. At this time, her father was promoted to the office of the ''Miljiksa'' (), her mother was granted the title of "Princess Myeongseon", and her elder sister's husband was promoted to the ''Panmiljiksasa'' ().''Goryeosa'', vol. 135. Biographies: vol. 48. King U: Month 11, Year 10. Soon after his promotion, her father used his position to confiscate other people's homes and take bribes in the form of silks, horses, and slaves. Yong-deok had not been invested long when she grew jealous of the amount of time the king was spending with another ''

'' woman, Bong-gai. She told the king that Bong-gai had previously been involved with a courtier, whom the king promptly banished to oversee construction works in the west. Later the same year, one of her father's slaves was beaten by minister Yun Chwi, and Yong-deok complained to the king, which led to Yun being sent to prison and demoted to commoner status.

Banishment

In 1386, Yong-deok lost the king's favour. One day, she had her servant play the ''

geomungo The ''geomungo'', alternate name ''hyeongeum'', is a traditional Korean culture, Korean plucked zither with both bridges and frets. ''Geomungo'' is a representative String instrument, stringed instrument made in Goguryeo before the 5th century. ...

'', but they stopped playing as soon as the king arrived. The king grew angry and beat the servant, asking why they had stopped playing. Yong-deok hugged his waist, saying "I've lost the king's favour and have nothing to do, if you keep beating the servant, what else will I have?" King U then punched her in the face.

Princess Suknyeong Princess Suknyeong (; 1649–1666 or 1668) was a Korean Joseon Dynasty Princess, and the only daughter of King Hyojong of Joseon and Royal Noble Consort An. Biography Early life The Princess was born as the only child and daughter in 1649, ...

accused the consort and her mother of attempting to manipulate the king through sexual practices, so King U expelled Yong-deok from the palace to her father's house. Her palace staff were imprisoned and interrogated harshly, whilst her father and his wife were also imprisoned and their house confiscated. Shortly after, Yong-deok was banished to

Jeonju Jeonju (, , ) is the capital and List of cities in South Korea, largest city of North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many resi ...

with her father, and her mother, elder sister, and four servants were executed, despite attempts by several courtiers to save them. One person on their day of execution said that they would be revenged on the one who killed them. The body was displayed in the city, and when King U went to view it, he ordered that it be spread on a cart to accelerate decomposition. The smell reportedly filled the entire street, and people did not dare to go near the body.

Reinstatement as consort

In 1387, Yong-deok was summoned back to

Kaesong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region cl ...

from Jeonju. Although the ''

Goryeosa ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is an extensive historical record of the Goryeo dynasty, compiled by the officials of Goryeo's successor state, Joseon. Its compilation started during the reign of Taejo of Joseon, Taejo (the founding ...

'' does not specify whether her father accompanied her, he appears in a record dated one month later, receiving an appointment as ''Cheonyang Buwongun'' (). King U had a golden statue of the Buddha made for Yong-deok''Goryeosa'', vol. 136. Biographies: vol. 49. King U: Month 8, Year 13. and later pardoned her of all crimes when she fell ill. A residence named ''Uihyebu'' () was established for her, and it was furnished in accordance with the arrangements of Queen Mother Myeongdeok's residence.

After U of Goryeo's deposal

In 1388, King U was deposed during a mutiny by the military leader

Yi Seong-gye Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...

, and his young son by Royal Consort Geun was put on the throne. As the mother of the new king, Royal Consort Geun was permitted to remain in the palace, but Yong-deok and the other consorts were expelled, along with their fathers, to their original homes. A few months later, on the occasion of King Chang's birthday, the remaining fathers of other consorts were released from prison.''Goryeosa'', vol. 137. Biographies: vol. 50. King Chang: Month 8, Year of Ascension to the Throne.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Choe, Suk-bi 14th-century births 14th-century deaths Royal consorts of Goryeo 14th-century Korean women 14th-century Korean people