As K-culture began to attract attention from people worldwide, Korean dramas also attracted people's attention. As a result, public attention was also focused on Korean historical dramas. This blog will explore the history of Korea related to famous K-dramas and check how well the history has proven in the drama.
※WARNING: This post contains SPOILERS about "The Red Sleeve"
image credit: MBC
"The Red Sleeve" is a drama has broadcasted from November 2021 to January 2022. Since its first airing, this drama has become popular. "The Red Sleeve," tells the story of King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of Joseon, and his wife, Royal Noble Consort Uibin Seong.
The historical story between Jeongjo and Uibin Seong
Seong Deok-Im entered the palace when she was young, and after she received Jeongjo's grace, she was promoted to Sangui, a court lady of the fifth senior rank.
In 1766, at the age of 15, Jeongjo proposed to Seong Deok-Im, 14 years old. At that time his wife Queen Hyo, Failed to have a child. Considering Queen Hyo's situation, Seong Deok-Im refused his proposal because she thought it was impolite to receive it. Fifteen years later, he confessed to her again, but she refused it. Thus, Jeongjo punished her subordinates, and eventually, she decided to receive a King's grace. According to records, King Jeongjo had treated her as a royal noble consort for 20 years before Seongdeokim became a consort. So it means that King Jeongjo had a crush on her for nearly 20 years.
She was pregnant two times between 1780 and 1782, but both pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Perhaps because of that, Seong Deok-Im died of deteriorating health while pregnant her third child. After Uibin Seong's death, King Jeogjo wrote books about her, and the expression "I love you" was repeatedly used. Since this was unusual in Joseon society, the books show that Jeonjo loved her so much.
The difference between history and "The Red Sleeve"
In the drama, Deok-Im finds Geumdeungjisa, a post that wrote about an unfair or secret matter, to prevent King Jeongjo from being deposed from the prince. However, in reality, Geumdeungjida is not a document written in this era, and it also had different contents. In addition, Queen Hyo, who was the wife of King Jeongjo, did not appear in the drama.
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I really enjoyed this drama!! The fact that the story of this drama was true made me even sadder. I did not know that Geumdeungjida was not a document written in that era. In the drama, all the story begins with Geumdeungjida, but how this is not true in reality made me surprised. As a person who loves K-dramas, I look forward to your upcoming posts!
답글삭제This blog post was insightful. Learning the historical story of Jeongjo and Uibin Seong through a drama seems fun. I can't believe King Jeongjo had a crush on her for 20 years. That is serious dedication, or a serious problem. I like how you included the differences between the drama and history.
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