| Hui-bin Jang 희빈 장씨 | |
| Succession: | Queen consort of Joseon |
| Reign: | 22 October 1690 – 12 April 1694 |
| Reign-Type: | Tenure |
| Predecessor: | Queen Inhyeon |
| Successor: | Queen Inhyeon |
| Religion: | Korean Buddhism |
| Succession1: | Royal Noble Consort of the First Senior Rank |
| Reign1: |
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| Dynasty: | House of Yi (by marriage) |
| Reign-Type1: | Tenure |
| House-Type: | Clan |
| Father: | Jang Hyeong |
| Mother: | Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan |
| Consort: | Yes |
| Spouse: | Sukjong of Joseon |
| Issue: | Gyeongjong of Joseon |
| Birth Date: | 3 November 1659 |
| Birth Place: | Sangpyeong-bang, Hanseong, Joseon |
| Death Place: | Chwiseondang Hall, Changgyeong Palace, Hanseong, Joseon |
| Place Of Burial: | Daebinmyo Mausoleum, Seooneung Cluster, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea |
| House: |
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| Hangul: | 희빈 장씨 |
| Rr: | Hui-bin Jang-ssi |
| Mr: | Hŭi-pin Chang-ssi |
| Othername1: | Honorary title |
| Hangulborn: | 장옥정 |
| Hanjaborn: | 張玉貞 |
| Rrborn: | Jang Ok-jeong |
| Mrborn: | Chang Ok-chŏng |
Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Indong Jang clan (; 3 November 1659 – 10 October 1701), personal name Jang Ok-jeong, was an infamous consort of Sukjong of Joseon and the mother of King Gyeongjong. She was queen of Joseon from 1690 until her deposition in 1694.
Jang Ok-jeong was the daughter of Jang Hyeong and his second wife, Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan. Part of the Namin faction, she came from a long line of interpreters and belonged to the Jungin class.
Ok-jeong is widely thought to have been one of the most beautiful women in Joseon, and her charm was mentioned in the Annals.
She became a lady-in-waiting to the King's step-great-grandmother, Grand Queen Dowager Jaui, at the recommendation of Prince Dongpyeong, who was Sukjong's first cousin-once-removed and Jaui's step-grandson.[1]
While visiting Queen Jaui, the King became infatuated with Ok-jeong's beauty and gave her the rank of Seungeun Sanggung (or Favored Sanggung; 승은 상궁), but his mother, Queen Dowager Hyeonyeol, who belonged to the Seoin faction, feared that Jang Ok-jeong would influence him to favor the Namin, so she expelled her from the palace.
In 1683, Hyeonyeol died and Queen Min, Sukjong's wife at that time (posthumously known as Queen Inhyeon), allowed Lady Jang to return to court.
In 1686, Ok-jeong became a concubine with the rank of Sug-won .[2] In 1688, she was elevated to So-ui, after giving birth to the King's first son, Yi Yun.
In the court, the Seoin faction split into Noron (Old Learning), led by Song Si-yeol, and Soron (New Learning), led by Yun Jeung. The Noron was supported by Queen Inhyeon.
The Namin faction pushed for the King to acknowledge Yi Yun as heir apparent, but the Seoin faction insisted that the Queen was still young and could bear a son, who should be the heir. Sukjong pushed for a compromise in which the Queen would adopt Yi Yun as her son. However, she refused to do so. Sukjong became angry at the opposition, and many were killed, including Song Si-yeol. The Namin faction seized power, and they exiled the Queen's father and the leaders of the Seoin faction.
In May 1689, Queen Inhyeon was also deposed and exiled. This incident is called Gisa Hwanguk .[3] [4]
In that same year, Lady Jang was promoted to Bin, the highest rank for a consort, with the prefix Hui (禧), which means "beautiful". Later, Jang Hui-bin was appointed as queen consort.
In 1693, Sukjong's new favorite, a palace maid from the Haeju Choe clan, was officially elevated to a royal consort of the Sug-won rank. Choe Sug-won (later Choe Suk-bin), was an open supporter of Queen Min and encouraged the King to reinstate her to her original position. In the meantime, Kim Chun-taek, who was member of the Noron faction, and Han Jung-hyuk from the Soron faction, staged a campaign to reinstate the Deposed Queen.
In 1694, Jang Ok-jeong lost the favor of the King.[5] Sukjong grew disgusted by the greed of the Namin faction and the ever-powerful Jang family. He also felt remorse for his temperamental actions during Gisa Hwanguk. In the government, the Namin faction's attempt to purge the Seoin on the charge of plotting to reinstate the deposed Queen backfired.
The King banished Jang Hui-jae, Queen Jang's older brother, and the leaders of the Namin party. He officially demoted Jang Ok-jeong to her former position, Hui-bin, and reinstated the Deposed Queen Min. This incident is called Gapsul Hwanguk . The Namin faction would never politically recover from this purge.
The Soron faction supported Crown Prince Yi Yun, who was Jang Hui-bin's son, while the Noron faction supported Yi Geum, Prince Yeoning, who was Choe Suk-bin's son.
In 1701, Queen Inhyeon died of an unknown disease. Allegedly, Sukjong discovered Lady Jang conspiring with a shaman priestess to curse the Queen with black magic and gloating over her death.[6] The Soron faction pleaded with the King to show mercy and pointed out that she was the mother of the Crown Prince.
Unmoved, the King sentenced Hui-bin, her mother, her brother, the leader of Soron and all of her companions to death. 1700 people died as a result of the incident. He also exiled the courtiers who had asked him to spare Lady Jang's life.[7]
On 7 October 1701, Sukjong passed a decree prohibiting any concubine from ever becoming Queen, and on 10 October 1701, Jang Hui-bin was executed by poisoning at Chwiseondang Hall, her residence inside Changgyeong Palace. She was 42 years old.
Her tomb is called Daebinmyo and was originally located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, but in June 1969 it was moved to the Seooneung Cluster, in Deogyang District, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, near Myeongneung, which contains the tombs of King Sukjong and two of his wives, Queen Inhyeon and Queen Inwon.[8] [9] The relocation took place because the tomb was blocking the government's planned expansion of the city.
Behind the tomb is a large rock, and a pine tree has broken through the rock to grow. There is speculation that this reveals that Jang Hui-bin's ki (energy) was, and still is, very strong. Some Korean websites report that because Lady Jang was such a strong woman there is a belief that if young, single women who want a boyfriend visit the tomb and pay a tribute, they will soon find love.[10]
Her memorial tablet was enshrined in Chilgung (or the "Palace Of Seven Royal Concubines").[11]
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