Royal Consort Suk-yong (, 1484–1506), of the Heungdeok Jang clan, was the consort of

Yeonsangun of Joseon Yeonsangun or Prince Yeonsan (; 23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung (), was the 10th monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's history and perhaps all History of Kor ...

. She is often compared with Jang Hui-bin and Jeong Nan-jeong, two other women of the

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 ...

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

Jungjong of Joseon Jungjong (; 25 April 1488 – 9 December 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (), was the 11th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He succeeded to the throne after the deposition of his elder half-brother ...

Biography

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

Chungcheong Province Chungcheong Province (; ) 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 capital o ...

, 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 and Queen Ansun. After having a son with Gano (), another servant of Grand Prince Jean, she learned to sing and dance and became a kisaeng. 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 or Prince Yeonsan (; 23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung (), was the 10th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's history and perhaps all Korean history, he is ...

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 (; 1455–?) * Unnamed Mother (1460–?) * Sibling(s) **Sister: Jang Bok-su () ***Brother-in-law: Kim Hyo-son () * Husband: Gano () ** Unnamed son *Husband: King Yeonsangun of Joseon (; 23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506) **Son: Yi Chong-su (이총수; 1502–?) **Son: Yi Yeong-su (이영수; 1503–1503) **Daughter: Princess Yi Yeong-Su (; 1506–1517) ***Son-in-law: Kwon Han (; 1506–?)

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Kim Jin-ah in the 1988 film '' Diary of King Yeonsan''. * Portrayed by Kang Sung-yeon in the 2005 film '' The King and the Clown''. * 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 childr ...

''. * Portrayed by Jeon So-min in the 2011-2012

JTBC JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...

TV series '' Insu, The Queen Mother''. * Portrayed by Cha Ji-yeon in the 2015 film '' The Treacherous''. * Portrayed by Lee Hanee in the 2017 MBC TV series '' The Rebel''. * Portrayed by Son Eun-seo in the 2017

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 '' Queen for Seven Days''.

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 (). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be published in 1982 by Dong-A Publishing (). ...

, language=Korean 1506 deaths Royal consorts of Joseon Executed Korean people People executed by Korea by decapitation 16th-century executions 16th-century Korean women