Ui-bin Seong

Royal Noble Consort Ui of the Seong clan (8 July 1753 - 14 September 1786) was a concubine of King Jeongjo.

Biography

The future Royal Noble Consort Ui was born on the July 8, 1753. She was the daughter of Seong Yun-u and Lady Im. At a young age, Lady Seong entered the royal palace to be trained as a palace maid. She then became a Sang-ui (상의 or 尙儀), a personal maid of Lady Yun Hwabin, who was a concubine of King Jeongjo.

In 1781, King Jeongjo made Seong his concubine with the rank of Sang-gung (상궁).^[1] In September 1782, Lady Seong was elevated to the rank of "so-young" (소용, 昭容), a concubine of 2nd rank, after giving birth to a son, Prince Yi Hyang (리 양). In November 1782, Prince Hyang was granted the name Prince Successor Munhyo and Lady Seong was elevated to the rank of "Bin" (빈, 嬪) with the prefix of "Ui" meaning "appropriate/fitting". On March 20, 1784, Lady Seong gave birth to an unnamed Princess, who died soon after birth.

On July 2, 1784, Prince Successor Munhyo was invested as Crown Prince of Joseon. On May 11, 1786, Crown Prince Munhyo died at the age of 4 years. Four months after the death of her son, Lady Seong died during the tenth month of her third pregnancy.^[2] The unborn child died with her.

Lady Seong was buried along with her son, Crown Prince Munhyo, in Hyochangwon in Seosamneung.^[3] Her tomb was originally located in Yong-San (Hyo-Chang Park 孝昌公園), Seoul, but was moved during the forcible Japanese Annexation period in 1944 by the Japanese Government.

Issue

• Crown Prince Munhyo (Yi Yang, 리 양) - died in 1786, at the age of 4 years.
• Unnamed Princess - 1784, died soon after birth
• Unborn child - died in utero as a result of Lady Seong's death during the tenth month of her pregnancy.

In popular culture

• Portrayed by Han Ji-min in Yi San.

References