Crown Prince Hyomyeong (18 September 1809 – 25 June 1830), personal name Yi Yeong, and posthumously honored as King Munjo, was a member of the

Joseon dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Life and death

The prince was the eldest son of King Sunjo, husband of

Queen Sinjeong Queen Sinjeong (; 9 January 1809 – 23 May 1890), of the Pungyang Jo clan, was the only wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong and mother of Heonjong of Joseon. She was never formally a Queen but was known as Queen Dowager Jo () during the reign of her ...

and father of King Heonjong. In 1817, the prince was admitted to the Sungkyunkwan. In 1819, he was titled Crown Prince of

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. A genius in literature and the arts, he created several court dances () and used court ritual and the arts to validate and augment the King's control over the government. Hyomyeong first became active in politics when he was only 17, due to his father being ill. Known to have pursued various political reforms, the prince served as

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

in 1827 until his death 3 years later at age 20. He did have some enemies amongst his maternal relatives, but avoided nepotism and was a talented writer, composer and choreographer.

Legacy

The prince was commemorated in an album of six scenes created to celebrate the commencement of his learning at the

Songgyungwan The Songgyungwan was the highest educational institution established in Korea during the Koryo and Choson dynasties. It opened in 992. The institution consists of the Taesong Temple, Myongnyun Hall and 20 other buildings, including one of the ...

, one of a number of documentary paintings (''gungjung girokhwa'') of the

period. Among 53 Joseon jeongjaes () or court dances which remain, 26 are his works. His "Chunaengjeon" (Dance of the Spring Nightingale) is the best known and most beloved traditional court dance for its gentle and poetic movements. He was one of the most important people in Korean Court ritual history, along with

King Sejong Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

His full posthumous name

Crown Prince Hyomyeong has the longest posthumous name for a member of nobility of Korea. * English: Crown Prince Chewon Chanhwa Seokgeuk Jeongmyeong Seongheon Yeongcheol Yeseong Yeon-gyeong Yungdeok Sun-gong Dokhyu Hong-gyeong Hong-un Seongryeol Seon-gwang Junsang Yoheum Sun-gong U-geun Tangjeong Gyecheon Geontong Sinhun Geondae Gonhu Gwang-up Yeongjo Jang-ui Changryun Haeng-geon Baenyeong Gitae Suyu Huibeom Changhui Ipgyeong Hyeongdo Seongheon Sojang Goeng-yu Sinhwi Suseo Ubok Donmun Hyeonmu In-ui Hyomyeong the Great * *

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: 體元贊化錫極定命聖憲英哲睿誠淵敬隆德純功篤休弘慶洪運盛烈宣光濬祥堯欽舜恭禹勤湯正啓天建通神勳肅謨乾大坤厚廣業永祚莊義彰倫行健配寧基泰垂裕熙範昌禧立經亨道成獻昭章宏猷愼徽綏緖佑福敦文顯武仁懿孝明大王

Family

* Father: King Sunjo of Joseon (; 29 July 1790 – 13 December 1834) **Grandfather :

King Jeongjo of Joseon Jeongjo (; 28 October 1752 – 18 August 1800), personal name Yi San (), sometimes called Jeongjo the Great (), was the 22nd monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyŏng, and succeeded ...

(; 28 October 1752 – 18 August 1800) **Grandmother : Royal Noble Consort Su of the Bannam Park clan (; 8 May 1770 – 26 December 1822) * Mother: Queen Sunwon of the Andong Kim clan (; 8 June 1789 – 21 September 1857) **Grandfather : Kim Jo-sun (; 1765–1832) **Grandmother : Internal Princess Consort Cheongyang of the Cheongsong Shim clan (; 1766–1828) *Consorts and their Respective Issue(s): #

of the

Pungyang Jo clan The Pungyang Cho clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the 2015 Korean census, the clan has 124,262 members. Origin Cho Maeng (), who was originally known by the name of Pa-u (), was born ...

(; 21 January 1809 – 4 June 1890) ## King Heonjong of Joseon (; 8 September 1827 – 25 July 1849)

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Park Bo-gum Park Bo-gum (; born June 16, 1993) is a South Korean actor, singer, and musician. A prominent Korean Wave figure, Park is the youngest artist to be named Gallup Korea's Actor of the Year, Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year and the firs ...

in the 2016

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

TV series ''

Love in the Moonlight ''Love in the Moonlight'' () is a South Korean television series starring Park Bo-gum, Kim Yoo-jung, Jung Jin-young, Chae Soo-bin, and Kwak Dong-yeon. It is a coming-of-age story and youth romance set during 19th-century Joseon Dynasty base ...

''. * Portrayed by Kim Min-jae in the 2018 film ''

Feng Shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

''. * Portrayed by

Gong Myung Kim Dong-hyun (; born on May 26, 1994), known professionally as Gong Myung (), is a South Korean actor. He is a member of 5urprise. He is known for his roles in the television series ''The Bride of Habaek'' (2017), '' Revolutionary Love'' (2017) ...

in the 2021 SBS TV Series Lovers of The Red Sky.

References