Empress Sunjeonghyo

Empress Sunjeonghyo (7 September 1894 – 3 February 1966), was the second wife of Sunjong of Korea, and was also the first (and last) Empress consort of Korea.

Early life
Sunjeonghyo was born Yun Jeung-sun on 19 September 1894 in Seoul. She was born to Lady Yu of the Gigye Yu clan and Yun Taek-yeong, a member of the Haepyeong Yun clan and an official of Joseon.

Her paternal grandmother, Lady Hong, was a 5th great-granddaughter of Princess Jeongmyeong, daughter of Seonjo of Joseon and Queen Inmok. Lady Hong was also a third cousin twice removed of Lady Hyegyeong.

Through adoptions within the Haepyeong Yun clan, she was a 13th great-granddaughter (or 13th great-grandniece, biologically) of Yun Du-su; as well as Yun Posun, the 2nd President of South Korea, was her ninth cousin three times removed. On her mother’s side, Yun’s maternal grandfather, Yu Jin-hak, was a maternal adoptive nephew of Queen Sinjeong; thus making her the adoptive great-grandniece of the late Queen.

Her younger sister eventually married Yu Gil-jun’s eldest son, Yu Eok-gyeom.

Marriage and life in the palace
To how Lady Yun was chosen to be the next wife of crown prince was from the help of Imperial Consort Sunheon.

Prior to the marriage, the Imo Incident of 1882 had forced Empress Myeongseong to flee from the palace, which brought Eom to demonstrate extreme loyalty to Gojong. The imperial consort, known at the time was Court Lady Eom, and the king became close during that time until Queen Min returned to the palace.

In 1885, the Queen consort expelled Eom from the palace when she discovered Eom wearing Gojong's clothing at the age of 32. Her expulsion stripped her of her position and title, but a high-ranking official, Yun Yong-seon, Lady Yun’s grandfather, purportedly interceded on her behalf with Gojong, and she was forgiven. Eom never forgot the grace of Yun Yong-seon.

Because the seat was vacant, Imperial Consort Sunheon recommended the adoptive great-granddaughter of Yun after Crown Prince Yi Cheok’s first wife, Crown Princess Consort Min, died on 5 November 1904.

Yun Jeung-sun married the 32-year-old Crown Prince Cheok on 24 January 1907 at the age of 13. When she became Crown Princess Consort, her mother was given the royal title of "Internal Princess Consort Gyeongheung of the Gigye Yun clan" while her father was given the royal title of "Internal Prince Haepung Yun Taek-yeong".

On 20 July 1907, she became Empress Consort of Korea when her husband ascended the throne after the forced abdication of his father, Gojong of Korea. The Empress was demoted by the Japanese government by the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1910 and thereafter officially known as Her Majesty, Queen Yi of Korea (this title, however, was ignored in Korea).

Because of her demotion, she was known by her given alternative royal title as Queen Yun and lived at Daejojeon Hall. But when she was given the royal title of Queen Yi of Changdeok Palace, she eventually moved into the palace’s Nakseon Hall when her husband’s health worsened.

Empress Sunjeonghyo became a widow on 24 April 1926, when Emperor Yunghui died without issue at the Changdeok Palace in Seoul. Emperor Yunghui had been rendered infertile (and was also said to be mentally disabled) by poisoning in the 1898 Coffee Poisoning Plot.

In 1939, the Queen’s family clan was pressured to change their family name to a Japanese surname. At the time, Sōshi-kaimei was a policy of pressuring Koreans under Japanese rule to adopt Japanese names. But her uncle, Yun Deok-yeong, opposed such a thing to happen and maintained their Korean surname.

Korean War
During the Korean War, Empress Sunjeonghyo stayed in Changdeok Palace as long as she could in the face of advancing forces from North Korea. During the war, the soldiers of North Korea invaded the palace but she reproved them and drove them all out. She then escaped secretly to the Unhyeon Palace when the war situation became too serious. As the war progressed, she moved to Busan with other Imperial family members, including Princess Hui (wife of Prince Wanheung). According to The World is One, Princess Yi Bangja's autobiography, Empress Sunjeonghyo went to Busan on foot.

After the Korean War
After the war, the new government of President Rhee Syng-man, jealous of the popularity of the Imperial House, prevented Empress Sunjeonghyo from entering the Changdeok Palace. She was kept imprisoned in Suin Hall, a narrow and unsuitable cottage in Jeongneung, Seoul. After a change in government in 1961 she returned to Nakseon Hall, Changdeok Palace with her dutiful ladies-in-waiting: Park Chang-bok (d. 1981), Kim Myung-gil (d. 1983) and Sung Ok-yeom (d. 2001), and five other staff.

After 37 years, Princess Deokhye was also able to return to Korea at the invitation of the South Korean government on 26 January 1962 due to reporter Kim Eul-han’s help. She was later welcomed and reunited by her kindergarten and elementary school classmate, and her 72-year-old wet nurse when they went to pick her up at Gimpo Airport.

The empress later meet her that same day before the princess underwent a surgery at Seoul National University Hospital.

Empress Sunjeonghyo became a Buddhist in her later years.

She died childless on 3 February 1966, aged 72, at Nakseon Hall, Changdeok Palace, Seoul from a heart attack. She was given a state funeral and a private Buddhist funeral. She is buried beside her husband, Emperor Yunghui and his first wife, Empress Sunmyeong, at the Yureung Imperial Tomb.

Family

 * Father
 * Yun Taek-yeong (윤택영, 尹澤榮) (1876 - 24 October 1935)
 * Mother
 * Internal Princess Consort Gyeongheung of the Gigye Yu clan (경흥부부인 기계 유씨, 慶興府夫人 杞溪 兪氏) (1876 - 1936)
 * Siblings
 * Older brother - Yun Hong-seop (윤홍섭, 尹弘燮) or Yun Song-mu (윤송무, 尹松茂) (1893 - 1955); became the adoptive son of his uncle, Yun Si-yeong
 * Younger sister - Yun Hui-seop (윤희섭, 尹喜燮) (6 November 1905 - ?)
 * Younger brother - Yun Ui-seop (윤의섭, 尹毅燮) (8 March 1912 - 25 February 1965); succeeded his father in becoming Marquis
 * Husband
 * Yi Cheok, Emperor Sunjong (25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926) — No issue.
 * Mother-in-law - Min Ja-yeong, Empress Myeongseong of the Yeoheung Min clan (17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895)
 * Father-in-law - Yi Hui, Emperor Gojong of Korea (9 September 1852 - 21 January 1919)
 * Issue
 * Adoptive son - Prince Yi Jin (이진, 李晉) (18 August 1921 - 11 May 1922)

In popular culture

 * Portrayed by Jang Seo-hee in the 1990 MBC TV series 500 Years of Joseon: Daewongun
 * Portrayed by Kim Ji-mi in the 1966 film The Last Empress
 * Portrayed by Song Seo-ha in the 2016 film The Last Princess