| Sukjong 숙종 肅宗 | |||||||||||||
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| King of Joseon | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 22 September 1674 – 12 July 1720 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Hyeonjong | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Gyeongjong | ||||||||||||
| Crown Prince ofJoseon dynasty | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 1667 – 22 September 1674 | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Crown Prince Yi Yun | ||||||||||||
| Born | 7 October 1661 Hoesangjeon Hall,Gyeonghuigung,Hanseong,Joseon | ||||||||||||
| Died | 12 July 1720(1720-07-12) (aged 58) Yungbokjeon Hall,Gyeonghuigung,Hanseong,Joseon | ||||||||||||
| Burial | Myeongneung Mausoleum,Seooneung Cluster,Goyang, South Korea | ||||||||||||
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| Issue among others... | |||||||||||||
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| Clan | Jeonju Yi | ||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Yi | ||||||||||||
| Father | Hyeonjong of Joseon | ||||||||||||
| Mother | Queen Myeongseong | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Korean Confucianism(Neo-Confucianism) | ||||||||||||
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 숙종 |
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| Hanja | 肅宗 |
| Revised Romanization | Sukjong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sukchong |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 양성헌 |
| Hanja | 養性軒 |
| Revised Romanization | Yangseongheon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yangsŏnghŏn |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 이순 |
| Hanja | 李焞 |
| Revised Romanization | I Sun |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Sun |
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| Joseon monarchs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sukjong (Korean: 숙종;Hanja: 肅宗; 7 October 1661 – 12 July 1720), personal nameYi Sun (이순;李焞), was the 19th monarch of theJoseon dynasty ofKorea. A skilled legislator, he caused multiple changes in political power throughout his reign, by switching among theNamin (Southerners),Seoin (Westerners),Soron andNoron political factions.
King Sukjong was born on October 7, 1661, to King Hyeonjong and Queen Myeongseong atGyeonghuigung. His given name was Yi Sun. He became the Crown Prince Myeongbo in 1667 at age 6, and in 1674, at age 13, he became the 19th ruler of theJoseon Dynasty.
King Sukjong was a brilliant politician, but his reign was marked by some of the most intense factional fights in the Joseon dynasty. Sukjong frequently replaced faction in power with another one to strengthen the royal authority. With each change of government, which was calledhwanguk (Korean: 환국;Hanja: 換局), literallychange/switching of the state, the losing faction was completely driven out of politics with executions and exiles. Nevertheless, the chaotic changes of government did not affect the general populace significantly, and his reign is considered one of more prosperous times.
In the early years of Sukjong's reign, the Southern faction and Western faction clashed over the Royal Funeral Dispute, a seemingly minor issue regarding the mourning period for Queen Insun. The Southern faction claimed that the mourning period should last one year while the Western faction argued for a nine-month mourning period. A one-year mourning period meant thatHyojong of Joseon was considered the eldest son while 9-month period would suggest that Hyojong was considered not the eldest son, following the rules that governed theyangban class. In other words, the Western faction viewed the royal family as the first of the yangban class rather than a separate class for which different rules applied. The two factions were also in conflict over the issue of fighting theQing Dynasty, which was considered barbaric country (as opposed toMing Dynasty) that threatened Joseon's national security. The Southern faction, led byHeo Jeok andYun Hyu, supported war against Qing while Western factions wanted to focus first on improving domestic conditions.
Sukjong at first sided with the Southern faction, but in 1680, Heo Jeok was accused of treason by Western faction, which led to the execution of Heo Jeok and Yun Hyu and purging of the Southern faction. This incident is calledGyeongsin Hwanguk [ko]. Once in power, the Western faction split into the Noron (Old Learning) faction, led bySong Si-yeol, and the Soron (New Learning) faction, led by Yun Jeung. After nine years in power, the Noron collapsed when Sukjong deposedQueen Min (posthumously called Queen Inhyeon), who was supported by the Western faction, and namedConsort Hui of the Jang clan (also called Consort Jang or Jang Hui-bin) as the new queen. She is widely thought to be one of the most beautiful women of Joseon, she was the only person recorded inAnnals for her beautiful features.[1] The Western faction angered Sukjong when it opposed the naming of Consort Jang's son as crown prince. The Southern faction, who supported Consort Jang and her son, regained power and drove out Western faction, executing Song Si-yeol in revenge. This is calledGisa Hwanguk (기사환국).
Five years later in 1694, as the Southern faction planned another purge of the Western faction, accusing them of conspiracy to reinstate the deposed Queen, Sukjong began to regret deposing Queen Min and favoredConsort Suk of the Choe clan, an ally of the Queen and the Noron faction. Angry with the Southern faction's attempt to purge Westerners, Sukjong abruptly turned around to purge Southerners and brought the Western faction back to power. The Southern faction would never recover from this blow, also calledGapsul Hwanguk (갑술환국). Sukjong demoted Queen Jang to her previous title (Jang Hui-bin) and reinstated Queen Min. Consort Jang was eventually executed by poison for cursing the Queen. The Soron faction supported Crown Prince Yi Yun, Consort Jang's son, while the Noron faction supportedConsort Choe's son, Prince Yeoning (Yi Geum), later to becomeYeongjo of Joseon. The late Queen Inhyeon and the newly installedQueen Kim (posthumously known as Queen Inwon) were both childless.
In 1718, Sukjong allowed the crown prince, soon to beGyeongjong of Joseon, to rule as regent. Sukjong died in 1720 supposedly after telling Yi Yi-myoung to namePrince Yeoning as Gyeongjong's heir - in absence of a historiographer or recorder. This would lead to yet another purge in which four Noron leaders were executed in 1721, followed by another purge with the executions of eight Noron members in 1722.
Sukjong's accomplishments include tax reform (大同法), the creation of a new monetary system and currency (Korean mun), and the liberalization of civil service rules promoting the middle class and children of concubines into higher-ranking regional government positions.
In 1712, Sukjong's government worked with theQing Dynasty inChina to define national borders between the two countries at theYalu andTumen Rivers.[2] The Japanese government recognized Ulleung Island as Joseon's territory in 1696 (the South Korean government insists thatLiancourt Rocks was also recognized,[3] while the Japanese government disagrees).[4]
Sukjong's reign also saw agricultural development in remote provinces and increased cultural activity including publishing. He died after reigning for 46 years in 1720 at age 60. He was buried in Myeongneung (명릉) inGoyang,Gyeonggi Province, inside the Five Western Royal Graves (서오릉, 西五陵;Seooneung).
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Consort(s) and their respective issue
| Ancestors of Sukjong of Joseon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sukjong of Joseon Born: 7 October 1661 Died: 12 July 1720 | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Joseon 1674–1720 withGyeongjong (1718–1720) | Succeeded by |
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| King of Joseon (1392–1897) |
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| Emperor of Korea (1897–1910) | |||||||
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| King Yi[note 4] (1910–1947) |
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| Director of the Royal Family Association (1957–) |
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