Hong, Lady (1735–1850)

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Hong, Lady (1735–1850)

Korean queen of the Yi dynasty whose memoir chronicles court life in 18th-century Korea and the tragic demise of her husband. Born on August 6, 1735, in Kop'yong-dong, Pangsongbang, Korea; died in 1850; daughter and one of three children (two girls and a boy) of Hong Pong-han (the president of the state council) and Lady Yi ; married Crown Prince Sado (1735–1762), on February 23, 1744 (died 1762); children: son Uiso (1750–1752); Chongjo (b. 1752, later king of Korea); daughters, Ch'ongyon (b. 1754) and Ch'ongson (b. 1756).

In her Memoirs of a Korean Queen, written late in life for her son and grandson who became kings, Lady Hong recalled her days as the wife of Crown Prince Sado, who died in 1762 at the hand of his father King Yongjo, the 21st king of the Yi Dynasty. Since the facts surrounding Prince Sado's death were stricken from the royal records, Hong wrote the book to shed light on the dark events that culminated in what came to be known as the Imo Incident, "an affair such as has never been known in ancient times."

Born into a family descended from royalty who had produced several generations of senior government officials, including her father, Lady Hong became the wife of Crown Prince Sado at the age of ten. "I was a mere child when I came to the court," she noted, "and wrote twice a day to my parents." The first ten years of Hong's marriage were uneventful, although her life at court was strictly governed. She gave birth to her first child, Uiso, in 1750, when she was 15 and the crown prince was 17, but the boy died in the spring of 1752. Later that year, Hong gave birth to another son, the royal grandson and future King Chongjo. Two daughters, Princess Ch'ongyon and Princess Ch'ongson , followed in 1754 and 1756, respectively.

At the time of her marriage, Lady Hong was unaware that Prince Sado had, since the age of ten, suffered from mental illness, a disorder which she would come to believe had been caused by his early estrangement from his father. (The prince had been raised by court servants from infancy.) In the winter of 1752, the illness began to manifest itself more acutely. Sado experienced bouts of hysteria and grew desperately afraid of his father, who was continually critical of his behavior and would not include him in court events. Despite Lady Hong's efforts to comfort her husband, Sado became increasingly more deranged as the years passed, vacillating between suicide attempts and wild parties. During periods of intense rage, he killed a number of court maids and eunuchs, while in his more tranquil moments he appeared quite normal. Lady Hong, sick with worry, thought of ending her own life on several occasions. "It is impossible for me to describe how hard it was to go on living from one day to the next," she wrote. In 1762, shortly after the state wedding of her son Chongjo, heir to the throne, Prince Sado's condition deteriorated to such a degree that his mother, Lady Sonhui , believed that the very dynasty was at risk and went before the king to suggest that the prince be killed. "Since the prince's illness has become quite critical and his case is hopeless, it is only proper that you should protect yourself and the royal grandson, in order to keep the kingdom at peace," she told King Yongjo, then begged him to spare the lives of the royal grandson and Lady Hong.

The prince grew increasingly paranoid, as though he knew the fate awaiting him. When the time came, he begged his father to spare his life but was forced to enter a grain box which was then sealed. For days, as Lady Hong languished in bed, contemplating the annihilation of her own life, her husband slowly died. It was only for her son, then 11 years old, that she found the strength to go on. Following the prince's burial on September 10, 1762, Chongjo became crown prince and was taken to live and receive instructions at the Kyonghui Palace, while Hong remained in a separate residence for the period of mourning. The king subsequently presented her with a residence near the palace, Chagyong-jon Mansion, where she lived out the remainder of her life and wrote her memoirs. Memoirs of a Korean Queen was edited and translated by Yang-hi Choe-Wall , daughter of a Shakespearean scholar and research fellow at the Australian National University. The story was the subject of a highly popular television drama in South Korea in 1985.