Early life 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.
Life as royal consort 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 (). 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 (). 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. 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.
Later years and death 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. 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. 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
Changgyeonggung. She was 42 years old.
Burial 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. 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. Her memorial tablet was enshrined in
Chilgung (or the "Palace Of Seven Royal Concubines"). ==Ancestry==