Queen Jeongseong (; 2 January 1693 – 23 March 1757), of the Daegu Seo clan, was the first wife of King Yeongjo of Joseon and the adoptive mother of

Crown Prince Sado Crown Prince Sado (; 13 February 1735 – 12 July 1762), personal name Yi Seon (), was the second son of King Yeongjo of Joseon. His biological mother was Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the Jeonui Yi clan. Due to the prior death of Sado's ...

Biography

It's said the queen was born on 12 January 1693 in Gahoebang (),

Hanseong The region now corresponding to Seoul, South Korea has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age. It has been the capital of a number of kingdoms since it was established. Prehistoric It is believed that humans were living in the area that is n ...

. She was the second daughter and fourth child of Seo Jong-jae and Lady Yi of the Ubong Yi clan. In November 1703, at the age of ten, she married the eight-year-old Prince Yeoning. As the wife of a prince, she was given the title of Princess Consort Dalseong (). In 1720, her husband was appointed as Crown Prince (). As his wife, she was given the title Crown Princess Consort (). On their first night of marriage, it was said that Prince Yeoning had asked how were the hands of the princess so pretty. The princess responded by saying that she never did any labor to get them dirty. This comment had unsettled the Prince because it reminded him of his mother, Royal Noble Consort Suk. It was said that from then on to her death as Queen, the Princess was not visited much from the Prince. In 1724, Prince Yeoning's older brother, King Gyeongjong died. Prince Yeoning ascended the throne on 30 August of that year as

King Yeongjo Yeongjo (; 31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong by his concubine, Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan. Before asc ...

and she became his queen consort. As queen, it was said that she held a generous character to her. The Queen had also cherished and treated Crown Prince Hyojang, Yi Jeong-bin's son, and

, Yi Yeong-bin’s son, as if they were her own sons. The Queen died at Changdeok Palace on 3 April 1757, and is buried in Seoreung within Hongreung in Yongdu-gong, Deokyang ward,

Goyang Goyang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's Satellite city, satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, w ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

. King Yeongjo had her buried near his father,

Sukjong of Joseon Sukjong (; 7 October 1661 – 12 July 1720), personal name Yi Sun (), was the 19th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. A skilled legislator, he caused multiple changes in political power throughout his reign, by switching among the Namin ...

, in Myeongreung. But because her tomb was built before her husband died, King Yeongjo reserved a spot next her mound intending to be buried with her. However, when King Yeongjo died in 1776, King Jeongjo was conscious of the

Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...

, and built Wonreung to bury the former King and later, the late Queen Dowager. As a result, Queen Jeongseong is buried there alone. Queen Jeongseong had no biological children. But her death distressed her adoptive son,

. As well as the death of her legal mother-in-law, Queen Dowager Hyesun, who died one month later on 2 May 1757 which contributed to the Crown Prince’s declining mental condition.

Family

Parent * Father − Seo Jong-jae (; 1656–1719) * Mother − Internal Princess Consort Jamseong of the Ubong Yi clan (; 1660–1738) Sibling(s) * Older brother − Seo Myeong-baek (; 1678–1738) * Older sister − Lady Seo of the Daegu Seo clan * Older brother − Seo Myeong-hyu (; 1686–?) * Younger sister − Lady Seo of the Daegu Seo clan (1696–?) * Younger sister − Lady Seo of the Daegu Seo clan (1698–?)

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Kim Ae-kyung in the 1988 MBC TV series ''500 Years of Joseon: Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong'' *Portrayed by Moon Ye-ji in the 1998 MBC TV series ''The King's Road'' *Portrayed by Jung Mo-rye and Shin Gyu-ri in the 2010 MBC TV series '' Dong Yi'' *Portrayed by

Park Shin-hye Park Shin-hye (, born February 18, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She gained recognition as a child in Korean drama, television series ''Stairway to Heaven (2003 TV series), Stairway to Heaven'' (2003) and ''Tree of Heaven (TV series), Tree o ...

in the 2014 film '' The Royal Tailor'' *Portrayed by in the 2015 film '' The Throne'' *Portrayed by Kim Sun-kyung in the 2017 MBC TV series '' The Emperor: Owner of the Mask'' *Portrayed by in the 2019 SBS TV series '' Haechi''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeongseong, Queen 1693 births 1757 deaths Royal consorts of Joseon Queens consort of Korea 18th-century Korean women