Song Deokbong

Song Deok-bong (1521–1578) was a Korean female poet of the mid Joseon period, and was active in the sixteenth century.

Biography
Song Deok-bong was born in 1521 to Song Jun and Lady Yi of the Hampyeong Yi clan into the Hongju Song clan during the reign of King Jungjong.

She was later arranged to marry the Confucian scholar Yu Hui-chun in 1536 as his second wife. The marriage produced one son and five daughters, but in 1547, Yu was exiled.

When he boasted of his faithfulness to her, she reprimanded him in letters by saying his boasting of such matters did not do him any credit. She furthermore let him know that she had diligently mourned his mother for three years and arranged the funeral, which she implied were much more difficult tasks than remaining faithful. She also commented that spending some months without sexual relations would have been good for him, seeing as he was getting older and needed to preserve his energy. He took her admonishment without rancor and they continued to correspond with each other in verse.

On her way to visit her husband in exile in Jongseong, Song Deokbong composed a much-praised poem whilst passing through an area called Macheonryeong.

She was seen as a virtuous woman writer.

Family

 * Father - Song Jun (1475 – ?)
 * Mother - Lady Yi of the Hampyeong Yi clan (1471 – ?); eldest daughter
 * Husband - Yu Hui-chun (1513–1577)
 * Issue
 * Son - Yu Gyeong-ryeom (6 February 1539 – ?)
 * Daughter - Lady Yu of the Seonsan Yu clan (1540 – ?)
 * Daughter - Yu Hae-seong, Lady Yu of the Seonsan Yu clan (1550 – ?)
 * Daughter - Yu Hae-bok, Lady Yu of the Seonsan Yu clan (1555 – ?)
 * Daughter - Yu Hae-myeong, Lady Yu of the Seonsan Yu clan (1560 – ?)
 * Daughter - Yu Hae-gwi, Lady Yu of the Seonsan Yu clan (1565 – ?)