Friday, March 29, 2024
FILM&DRAMAKOREAN HISTORY

Did Dong Yi and King Sukjong really have a long romance?


The historical drama Dong Yi (MBC 2010) is the love story of a servant girl (Dong Yi) and the king. (King Sukjong r.1674-1720).  A servant girl did in fact become the king’s top ranking concubine (and given the title Sukbin). And she gave birth to King Sukjong’s son who became King Yeongjo, the longest reigning king in Joseon history. These are facts. But did Dong Yi and King Sukjong really have a long romance?

related posts:

Dong Yi (MBC 2010)

What was the Concubine Ranking System in the Joseon Palace?

What were the social classes in the Joseon period?

The Confucian Kingship of Korea: Yeongjo and the politics of Sagacity 

Well, it seems that this is impossible to know! The problem is that Dong Yi came from the the cheonin, servant class, so there’s very little information about her in the history books!

The record keeping in the Annals of Joseon focus on the king. In general, there isn’t much information about the royal concubines either. But there’s even less information about her because she came from the servant class! The names and positions of the family members of upper class concubines were likely to be recorded. But it would have been awkward to write anything about her background, so information was purposely avoided. (that’s according to the introduction to the novel, Dong Yi) In fact, Dong Yi wasn’t even her real name. And there’s no record of what her real name was. She’s just known as Sukbin. (Choi was her real family name though.)

People in the lowest class couldn’t generally move up the social ranks. And even Dong Yi’s son, King Yeongjo, had a complex about his low class background. So much so that eventually he changed some of the laws about marriage between the lower and upper classes. This led to the servant class finally dying out.

The Annals of Joseon

If you’d like to know what the scribes at the palace did write about at the palace, take a look at my book review of The Annals of King Taejo. He was the first king of Joseon and these detailed records have now been translated into English. They are written in diary-form with notes entered almost every day. Some days have short entries on the weather, others have long descriptions on serious happenings such as the execution of high officials for treason.

related posts:

Chart of Joseon Kings and historical dramas

Joseon Kings overview

So the drama is romantic fiction because nobody knows what really happened.

Perhaps Dong Yi and King Sukjong really did have a long romance. And perhaps they did sneak out of the palace together in disguise and hang out at the tavern. It’s not that hard to believe since kings did indeed go out of the palace incognito to find out how the ordinary people lived. But due to the strict Confucian society rules about relationships between men and women, they would probably not have been able to sit so casually together without attracting attention. So the drama takes some artistic licence for our entertainment and creatively fills in the gaps that the history books have left out.

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related posts:

How is King Sukjong portrayed in Dong Yi?

Where are King Sukjong and Jang Hee Bin’s tombs?

 Is Jang Hee Bin pure evil or does she act out of love?

Who are the top 10 Korean women in historical drama? 

120 thoughts on “Did Dong Yi and King Sukjong really have a long romance?

    • First of all dong yi was really her real name we know that dong yi was a common girls name back in the old days of the chosun regime and her real family name was choi and she was workin as a palace maid servin under queen ichyeon and third of dong yi was a real life person who lost her father and father who framed fo killin nobles and she enters the palace as a palace maid then works her way up to sukbin so how can u say such things if u dont have the real info and facts

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      • And fifth of they did keep all the infomation in the palace on people who work in the palace if u watch tv show dong yi they had all the info includin the lower classes so.how can u say such things if u dont have info and facts about dong yi

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          • According to history, Jang hui bin was once loved by the King but around 1692-1694 he lost interest on her, and she fall from his favor. That can be seen because he demoted her from being Queen in 1694 and also sentenced her to death in 1701. The drama Jank Ok Jung twisted that fact to create a romeo and juliet love story, but in real history, her supporters tried to save her, but the king wouldn’t give in and kill and banish the all that oppose to her being executed. Sorry but thats how happen in real history,, also Drama Jang ok Jung is just a fairytale. Maybe you want to believe in a great love type Romeo and Juliet, but that was not the case with Sukjong and Hui bin

        • Firstly, Choi Suk-bin’s real name was unknown. Most concubines’ real names were never recorded in the Joseon Annals, except for a few rare cases such as Ok-Jeong.

          Secondly, all we know from the Joseon Annals were the fact that Choi was a palace maid (a low ranking one under Queen Inhyeon) whom Sukjong took favour on. There was no evidence on if they truly shared a romance, and if Choi’s family background was truly that dramatic. These were merely things written by our scriptwriter (who did a good job, I must say).

          Thirdly, no they did not keep all the information about the lower classes. The Joseon Annals recorded key events politically and events which affected the country, and also the life of the Kings. Of course, the King’s family must be mentioned, so his wives and children were also mentioned in the Annals.

          However, as Suk-bin Choi was of a more lowly background (compared to Jang or even most other concubines), there were little information about her, other than the names of her family members, her surname, how she and the King met,the dates when she was granted each concubine rank, and most importantly, how she was involved in Jang’s death.

          The Joseon Annals recorded more factual information rather than daily happenings and the personalities of the different royal members. The “info and facts” you got were merely a mixture of things from the tv drama and historical info.

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          • And I think I saw you leaving some comments on the other posts as well. I read your comments and you seem quite impolite in dealing with people. I think many will appreciate if if you truly got your historical facts right, and not go around criticizing others just because you know “a little bit more information”, which most people can get from Wikipedia.

          • first of all i agree they did keep the info on the kings and the nobles but they did keep half of the info on the lower class people like dong yi and people who used to work for the king like eunches court ladies u name it so look ur info and facts before sayin it and third of all how she got involved in jang hae bins death well dong yi was never involved in jang hae bin death in the first exept she did work for the office of the investgations in joseon dynasty solving political and social crimes inside and outside of the palace but the office of the investgations did order the exeution of jang hae bin for the crimes she commited while tryin to get rid of queen inyeon

      • Brockjong benkhin
        Dong yi real name is unknown, the show of 2010 gave her that name, because low classes as cheoning did not have given names, Just family names. We have little information about her, Most of the information about her was avoided purposely, because her origin low birth class, was considered shameful for Nobles, at difference of Jang hui bin who came from middle class and her family were professionals translators(thats why we have more register of her and she had a given name).

        we know she was orphaned at the age of 3, thats the date of her parents death registered, she had an older brother and an older sister, they were very poor. She enter to the palace when she was 7. she gain the favor of the King around 1692, since she gave birth her first son in 1693 who died, second in 1694 who was Yeongjo and third in 1698 who also died. She was a supporter of Inhyeon, and influenced the king on bringing her back. Annals of Joseon, when she died referred to her as a woman of virtues, Looks like In 1716 she got very sick and was taken out of the palace, that year Sukjong received a message from Yeoning Geum saying that his mother health had worsened, she died in 1718 in Inhyeon Palace in the company of her son and his wive, who had a deeply love and respect for her. When she died annals of Joseon recorded King sukjong mourning words, and said something like..Because she is the one I had choose. Yeongjo mourned her for three years. She was given a Won type of tomb, that is for Crown princes, crown princess and high rank concubines (bin) On her memorial tablet (which is in Soryeongwon her royal tomb) under the description of her character it is written “Her disposition and her status was absolutely indivisible. She did not scruple on people. She was respectful and always waited on Queen Inhyeon and Queen Inwon. Her wisdom and intelligence shined on her interaction with others. She kept to her duty and protocol, She never entered in palace disputes. She spend her days in peace and harmony”. She was given a posthumous title for sukjong and later Yeongjo upgraded her status in death.

        Those are the specific things we know about her. A least the things I could find trhu research.

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    • If you would like the notations and citations for my response I will provide it separately. this historical drama draws on the outline of knowledge and creates some elements to maintain interest in the story but also to elaborate on some of the social and cultural issues at that time.
      It is pretty clear from some notations both in annals and diaries that choi dong yi was most likely a water maid, serving in the baths. She did catch sekyongs eye and he bedded her, it is notated that he went from taking a liking to her, to appreciating her, to loving her.the numbers of visits, three children and his doting , against noble sentiments which resented it on yeoning because he was a prodigy,are also documented. He bequeathed a palace residence to her where she was moved when she became ill. But he did live with her there when he stepped down and had the crown prince start to take over when the P rings was 32, reigned as of the age of 33. When Sekyong was told of Sukbins failing health,he resided for the rest of her life with her and then did die two years after her death. he would have been about 45. She was either 377,38,39 depending on the documents.
      As to jang, she was considered the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, she was also recorded to be greedy for power and one of the cruelest and uncompromising of people in her quest . She was attractive and also, it was a wise political move by Sekyong . When he tired of the machinations of her supporters and her, he did have ample reason to execute her . There is some minor notations that she was suspiciously involved in what is believed to be the poisoning of the Queen. When dong yi was involved the queen dowager had already died, also suspected foul play but for political reasons in wishing to weaken the hold of the dowagers supporters, little was done.
      The queen, who was young, refused to adopt the crown prince. The queen was sent from the palace and was returned, mostly from regrets according to notes of the kings councilors.
      The outings were creative fiction although the king did make sojourns as did yeoning, it was done for enjoyment and also to point out the differences .Those parts were creative fiction. Jang smother was from the servant class but the were middle class as she was Jang s fathers second wife.
      Sukbins was posthumously given three statured titles as she was noted to always avoid political intrigue, and she did in fact use her status to set up a counsel hall for the serfs.
      She would never have been accepted as queen, it was never an option, however the new queen did adopt yeoning and it is recorded that he was her favorite , as well.
      She did save his life when an assignation attempt was made shortly after the crown prince became king and he did become one of the greatest Confucian scholars of his era.

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      • Sorry about the typographical errors. Autocorrect is a hassle.

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  • That seems to have been a worldwide practice in the 17th century. I mean about royal family members and other princes hiding their identity and travelling through Europe (not only in metropolitan areas) in incognito.

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  • Sorry, 1700s, so 18th century.
    By the way: this is the age of enlightenment in Europe.

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  • On these days at our national television we are able to watch DONG YI. I am a curious person and, on the internet, I was able to see the whole episodes.
    All the actors and actresses are acting so nice, I like the costumes from all cast. Well done, very nice. I don’t know so much about the history of Korea, but I read on the internet now.
    Also, I have a question: how died : Dong Yi (Suk bin) , the King Sukjong, and also his lover for years,( the friend of his father), were they ill ?? From the last episode I wasn’t able to understand it. All was so quickly done .
    If I don’t ask to much, please be so kind and send me some words about my question.
    Thanks in advance
    Yours,
    Mrs. Elena Ene, Bucharest, Romania

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    • Dpng Yi’s death isnt confirmed, though rumours say that she died from epitaxis. Sukjong died of old age and i am nt sure who are r u refering next. At the start of episode 60, it showed Dong yi walking in a meadow or sth. It was actually heaven. She had died from something unknown. At the end of the episode, it showed Sukjong walking with Dong yi. It meant that he had died too. The reason he hadnt showed up at the start was because he hadnt died yet. 1 day in heaven was equal to a year on earth, so Dong Yi did not wait long for Sukjong. Throughout the episode they only showed how Dong Yi made her son the crown prince by allowing the Queen Inhon to adopt her son. They also showed what Dong yi and Sukjong did (which im quite confused too)

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      • The writer want us to: 1- focus on the good time when we are still young & in love (DY step on the king back, the same way when they first meet); 2- not to be sad or scare of death because we will be happy together in heaven (DY & king walked together at the end). DY died 2 years before the king. It would make us very sad if the writer tell us when/how DY & king died. I love Korea dramas for this very reason.

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      • For me, the ending means something else. So Dong Yi was first work for palace but then with the king’s help, she became the palace’s detective so at the end you see when they see these people that are kidnapped and when they were at the wall Dong Yi stepped on the king’s back that means that the king brought her to the problem and when she gets to the other side, it’s where they show the palace and why they showed it, it is because after the king’s love, she bacame a his wife so then she lives in the palace. at the very end where she was walking was in heaven and you all know that the king doesn’t know how to climb over the wall right but to come to Dong Yi, he climbed over the wall (over come challenges to love her).

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      • That’s what i believed too….at the start of episode 60 Dongyi is walking in heaven…it showed that their love continues in heaven. I can say that the story tells us that even in after life Dongyi and Sukjong were still together…besides the story lets the viewers know that Dongyi’s dream for her son to become a King came into reality though in the story Dongyi died earlier before her son became King.

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  • I love watching korean historical fiction drama. I also have interest in history even though I do physicsT.T..thank you for having a nice blog..the only blog that write about the korea history in english based on the drama…keep your good work!!

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    • I enjoyed seeing the Korean drama “Dong Yi”. I spent a lot of time and enjoyed at every episode the story goes. Dong Yi was a beautiful young woman and I liked her smiles. She looked so lovely.

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      • Yup u right about that that type of girl u dont see everyday who is sweet nice caring and cares about the people and dong yi she still the best

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  • I just finished watching Dong Yi . In the final episode (60), Dong Yi’s son went to visit her tomb with Chun Soo, I am wondering did DY died at an early age even before Chun Soo. How did she died, I can’t find details on this especially her death and from what causes. I am dead curious about her early death. Any information.

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    • At the last episode, Dong Yi suffered nosebleeds aka epitaxis. *spelling unsure* Epitaxis is rarely fatal, but perhaps Dong yi was one of the unfortunate victim. When you get nosebleeds, you’re not supposed to tilt ur head backward as the blood will travel back, but then during Dong yi’s time, they hadnt known that. So yeah, maybe she died that way.

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    • First of all my friend we know dong yis death isnt comfirmed but she did die of a rare form condition of nosebleed called epitaxis since u was not supposed tilt ur head wen blood travels through the body and third of all chun soo lived long.because he was an expert on everything from marshal arts to traditional korean medcine

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        • Yup since they did not keep info on the low class people at the time durin joseon dynasty

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  • Hi, do you guys know where are the sites the drama Dong Yi was filmed?
    thanks

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    • First of all, thanks everyone for your comments and info on Dong Yi. I believe that Dong Yi was filmed partly in Gyeongju (about 4 hours by KTX from Seoul) and also at the MBC sageuk drama set in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. It’s not usually open to the public but it does open a couple of days a year. I think the next open day is in September. I’ll keep an eye open for that.

      MBC Dramia

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      • hi everyone! I just watch Dongyi this year here in the philippines, and its not waste of time to watch it i really enjoy watching this drama. I’m hoping that main characters og Dongyi will visit the philippines

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  • Does anyone know any dramas based on King Yeongjo of Joseon?

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    • Watch Yisan total 77 episodes. King Yeong-jo is in this series together with his grandson Yisan who later succeeded King Yeong-jo after his demise. Yisan is King Jeong-jo when he ascended the throne. This is a very good drama to watch. Thought it is 77 episodes…go with it. Indeed in a drama to watch from beginning to ending. Prepare boxes of tissues as well. Enjoy…

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    • Hey stop hatin on dong yi like that its the writers fault that they did not have the info to make ending very sad since dong yi died of rare form of nosebleed called epitaxis and king sukjong died of old age of 60 but that did not been comfirmed since they did not have all the info at the time

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      • Dong yi rocks but the end is like very sad wen dong yi meets up with.sukjong in heaven so she did not wait for king sukjong

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  • agree but i still love the story! i become more interested with korean history after this..

    Dong Yi died around 1718 while King Sukjong died two years after her.
    Crown Prince Gyeongjong reigned from 1720 – 1724, succeeded by Prince Yeongjo (Dong Yi’s son)

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    • Wrong thats prince yeon ing aka king yeongjo who took over the throne in 1724 after gyeongjong died

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    • No its was gyeongjong who got the throne and ruled joseon for 5 years before prince yeoning aka king yeonjo took over the throne wen his older brother died and king yeonjo ruled joseon for 52 years ( 1724 1776)

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  • i love ji jin hee. but when they first started promoting dong yi on tv, i wasn’t too interested. in my mind, he’s married for life with lee young ae. then i happened to see the episode wherein dong-yi stepped on the king’s back not knowing who he was and im hooked. still, tho the story was great, and ji jin hee acquitted himself well, i could clearly see why any woman would fall for the King. but i just didn’t see the emotional bond that dong-yi and sukjong were supposed to have formed with each other. i felt there was more sexual tension between dong-yi and chun soo. perhaps it’s just because bae soo-bin was so intense all on his own. lol.

    but one thing i admire about SK dramas is that they seem to get the actors to play the characters right, down to the child actors. physically and acting-wise, everyone just seemed so perfect for their roles. not like in the philippines where film producers usually use the same old actors to perform the roles.

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    • I think it’s bcoz they already worked together in The Shining Inheritance 😀

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    • U mean lee so yeon right who plays as xourt lady jang aka consort hui find out about the actress before sayin anything and statin facts

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    • There definitelly was that “emotional bond”(?) between King Sukjong & Dong-yi. That is one of the reasons why many enjoyed this drama. Chunsoo was there to fill the love triange, if there was supposed to be one.

      Perhaps you so wanted dong-yi & choonso to build some romantice feelings. In this drama, dongyi did not have those feelings for choon soo.

      Besides, chunsoo was a fictional character in this drama.

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  • i really love the story of dongyi and i want to have a copy on it,but sad to say here in the philippines dont have it…

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    • hey watch it online internationaly on any movie or tv show where u would to stream it or copy it by dvd

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  • It’s a well thought article. The writer wrote it not because she knows it and brag but because she wanted to share the informations. Like, Dong Yi from the series taught to her son Geum, that knowledge is to share to those who can’t have it. Hope sponsors see this and support your site. 😀

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    • @ana reyes, i’m from the philippines and i got clear copies of dong yi episodes. the subs are good too coz’ it was downloaded from the internet. btw, the complete set of dong yi comes in 9 dvds.

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        • Ya if u talkin buyin it its goin to cost u though but if i were u i would either download it or just bootleg it on dvd if u want tha show dong yi

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        • Ya if u talkin buyin it its goin to cost u though but if i were u i would either download it or just bootleg it on dvd if u want tha show dong yi

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  • I just finished all 60 episodes of Dong-Yi, well written drama… make me quite interested in Korean history 🙂 I like bae soo-bin’s role very much, as he was always the protector for Dong-Yi and Guem from young to old.

    Wondering if anyone can tell me about the political relationship between China (Tsing Dynasty) and Korean at that time? Why the King needed to report many things or get approvals from Tsing Dynasty? (e.g. prince to inherit the next throne…). Thanks!

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  • Just finished watching Dong-Yi — its amazing i have never made this marathon watching DY from 6:30pm until 1am ….hahahaha …. don’t care if I wake up late in the morning for work — you just can’t wait to find out what will happen in the next chapter … its addicting hahahaha —- my rating … excellent !!!

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    • Edith…marathon-ing for a series we are so caught up in like a thirlwind is naturally. Whether we end up with puffy eyes..it does not matter. Now i am re-watching DY for the 7th time and it is still as exciting. It does not matter how many times i have already watched. It is just worth re-watching.

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    • I stayed up until 4am watching Dong Yi. =)
      Got confused also of the the last episode…

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      • Well on the last espoide as we know that queen inhon adopted prince yeoning since dong yi wanted to make geum the crown prince so geum rise to the throne as king after that happens dong yi dies end up in heaven meets king sukjong as the last espoide ends dong yi and sukjong hold hands together as they walk in a field which turns out to be heaven

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  • To Lovely Edith:
    We have exactly the same reason… I am so moved by this drama that my heart felt like bursting with sorrow and happiness at the same time…

    I wanna be like Dong yi… She has a great heart…

    I hope to see them here in the Philippines specially Bae Soo bin…..

    More power dramasrok…!

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  • Are there any video doumentaries I could that is based on dong yi and sukjong and about how did dong yi died?

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  • haaayyy.. Dong yi for me is the most unforgettable movie ive ever watched..
    Its give me strength that all happen even it hard for a good reason.
    If all of us has a good heart like Dong yi and wise and knowledgeable thinking
    like the king.. maybe we have now a good and supervised government..
    love it..!

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    • I just finished watching Dong Yi. I Have been watching it 4 the past 3days with just 1hr of sleep now am sick, imaging DY being a true history made me cry my eyes out, I feel the pain, am very emotional. DY is a nice drama and I have watched as many of Korean historical drama which I love most, seeing them in their hanboks, tradtional houses etc made me feel as if am in that century or a korean. Thanks to this blog, producers, directors and the casts 4 ur good work, keep it up……………

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  • Do anybody know where I could find the novel dong yi before the tv show came out

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  • In the tv show dong yi did they really have an office of investgations in korea at the timr.of the chosun regime (1392 1897) who formed the office of investgations and how did it originated in korea

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  • goash..im so thankful i found this site. i am really eager to know the history of dong-yi i mean during her time in the palace and what happened to the crown prince..i am really so hooked on this..i will surely try to watch yisan as being recommended..i think it is the next in line right?

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  • @leigh
    Yi San is a story about the great grand son of dong yi grand son of King Yeong Jo… I heard this is yet another good heavy drama… (Teary eyes…)

    Quite longer than dongyi… 77 episodes… =)

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  • Consort Suk (Dong Yi) actually has some records in the history..please see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consort_Suk_of_the_Choe_clan
    I was so delighted upon learning that the story of Dong Yi, in general, was derived from a real story–which actually happened in the history of Korea. The main characters were real, though the details of the story was probably fiction, but the main plot and story are a fact. I read about the reign and lives of Dong Yi’s son, King Yeong Jo, and i was delighted to know that the virtues he got and learned from his mother became a doorway to him to reign with justice and righteousness, and was able to contribute significantly to the improvement in the governance of Korea and in the lives of the common people. I was also happy when i came to read about Dong Yi’s life–the record is short, and she lived only until the age of 48, but lived it well and to the fullest.

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    • (reposted after some editing)
      I was so delighted upon learning that the story of Dong Yi, in general, was derived from a real story–which actually happened in the history of Korea. The main characters were real, though the details of the story were probably fictional, but the main plot and story are a fact. I read about the reign and life of Dong Yi’s son, King Yeong Jo, and i was delighted to know that the virtues he got and learned from his mother became a doorway for him to reign with justice and righteousness, and he was able to contribute significantly to the improvement in the governance of Korea and in the lives of the common people. I was also happy when i came to read about Dong Yi’s life–the record is short, and she lived only until the age of 48, but lived it well and to the fullest. Dong Yi, for me, is a virtuous woman — who is a model for all women.

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  • Greetings from the island of Barbados.
    Jewel in the Palace was the first Korean drama I ever watched and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to watch another one which was Dong Yi. I must say that Dong Yi is a wonderful drama which has deeply touched my heart. Never have I enjoyed a series so much. I couldn’t wait to get home every day just to see what would happen in the next episode. This drama made me laugh out loud, be surprised scared and cry as well. I would recommend this drama to anyone,this is good entertainment based on a true story. Excellent acting as well. Simply fantastic!

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    • very true ….that Dong Yi is a wonderful drama which has deeply touched my heart.

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  • I just read all the comments above and i actually regreted it a little coz i am halfway from d ending. Its currently airing here in philippines. Oh god this is making me sad. So dong yi will die on the ending huh.. anyways ill still watch it till d very end.its worth to watch even if my eyebags are getting worse everyday hehe. Dong yi is the best role model ever. I wanna be like her.. a fighter. Strong woman who will fyt for what she knew was right. Great integrity. Dong yi the best. Love it..

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  • i’ll just correct the spelling of EPISTAXIS its a medical term of nose bleed… i really love korean history thats why i always watch korean series specially wen it comes to their history =) kneldakis given link was rigth there are information w/c tells that dongyi is a real story which writen in the history of korea =)….

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    • So where can u the real info on dong yi and sukjong on how they died if u dont have the link to the website

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  • i want to confirm about the death of dongyi’s son. is it real or not? i want to know more about the movie and the korean history.

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    • First dong yis son geum aka prince yeoning aka king yeongjo did die of deimentia wen yeongjo was 82 years old in 1776 after king yeongjo ruled joseon from 1724 to 1776 yes it is go to wikipedia.com look it up and if u are talkin about the movie dong yi well its actally the korean tv show drama dong yi which is about a girl who lose her father and old brother who were framed fo killing nobles then after that happens she enters the palace as a place maid serving under queen inyeon and works her way up to royal consort suk bin

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      • Hey if u want to study korean history start watchin korean tv movies and read about korea in history books and in wikipedia

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        • see “Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Choi clan” in wikipedia….
          First son of SukBin(DongYi) and King Sukjong was really died in young age, written in the history.. Prince Yeoning(Prince Geum/later King Yeongjo) was their second son.. It was written in the history that SukBin bore their third son(unnamed) but also died young…
          The crowned Prince Gyeongjong (son of Lady Jang) became the 20th King of Joseon Dynasty.. 4 or 5 years later, King Gyeongjong died. Throne were passed to Yeongjo, he was then the King Yeongjo, 21st ruler of Joseon Dynasty….

          Another Historical Drama was aired year 2007 titles “YI-SAN”, involving King Yeongjo(son of Dongyi).. Storylines telling how King Yeongjo passed his throne in his grandson(Yi-San) but not to his son-Crowned Prince Sado.. And later focuses on reigning of King Jeongjo(Yi-San), the 22nd ruler of Joseon…
          You must watch this… 🙂
          DONGYI 60episodes and YI-SAN, 77 episodes… historical fiction drama based on the real facts and korean history…

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  • In the teledrama, why did the prince the son of Dong yi die of measles and fever if he would be the next king of Joseon? Why was she driven out of the palace and would no longer be seen by King Sukjong? Was the first son of King Sukjong by consort Jang proclaimed king before Yeong son?

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    • First of all the prince the son of dong yi did die of fever and measles but thats dong yi first son who is not discussed in korean history books so then several espoides later dong yi gives birth to geum the prince the second of dong yi who becomes the 21 king of chosun geum aka prince yeoning aka king yeongjo and second of why dong yi got kicked out of the palace for being a crimicals daughter remember dong yi s dad was the leader of the sword organzation who helps low born people workin class people and then on the new espoides we know that dong yi got promoted to royal consort after she became special court lady in espoide 31 or.32 then after that happens wen she does get promoted to royal consort things started to get worse u no the sword organization reformed by galdura dong yi old friend so she starts helpin galdaura then the king and eunuch han finds out that dong yi starts helpin out gladaura then dong yi shes reveals her real last name not chun dong yi but choi dong yi remember wen dong yi entered the palace under a false name chun and then shes reavals her real last name choi to king sukjong wen she was royal consort and third of all sukjong and dong yi were still together so dong yi was seen by king sukjong wen dong yi reentered the palace with her son geum few months later

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  • hey everyone… i was just wondering if y’all know what episode Choi Dong Yi gave birth to Geum… by the way i really love Dong Yi!! i’m currently watching it here in the Philippines…. please answer my question… i’m just really curious… thanks!

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  • Either espoide 50 or 51 where she gives birth to geum in the latter part of the espoide where dong yi gets kicked out of the palace wen she tells the king her real last name as we know as choi dong yi not chun dong yi and after that happens then dong yi reveals to king sukjong that dong yis father and brother were the members of the sword organization and then after that happened dong yi gets kicked,out of the palace,then few months later dong yi gives birth to her son geum who becomes the 21 king of chosun then dong yi and geum are sent back to the palace after king sukjong asks to come back

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  • i want dong yi and king sukjong will married for true life

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    • they are married in true life like doin espoide 32 33 dong yi returns to the palace after jang hae bin kicks her out of the palace fo exposin evidence fo the crimes the jang family commited and then a few months few dong yi returns to the palace and is made a special court lady under king sukjong after tha happens few month later dong yi gets pregant and gives birth to first son then shes gets promoted to royal consort so hows dong yi was married to king sukjong but dong yi have another son goes by the name of geum aka prince yeoning aka king yeongjo after dong yi first son dies of measules.who unamed in history books

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      • Yes they were “married” for real life. That was the meaning of being concubine with suk won rank they became part of the royal family. But they were secondary wives, the King just had one “legal” wife the Queen.

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    • they are married in true life like doin espoide 32 33 dong yi returns to the palace after jang hae bin kicks her out of the palace fo exposin evidence fo the crimes the jang family commited and then a few months few dong yi returns to the palace and is made a special court lady under king sukjong after tha happens few month later dong yi gets pregant and gives birth to first son then shes gets promoted to royal consort so hows dong yi was married to king sukjong but dong yi have another son goes by the name of geum aka prince yeoning aka king yeongjo after dong yi first son dies of measules.who unamed in history books

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      • there are 4 kids recorded in history under sukjong and Dong yi (the forth is disputed) so she had one in 1693, other in 1694 other in 1698 and the disputed is after the events showed in this drama, But I couldn’t find the exactly date!

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  • Epistaxis or nose bleeding is common and not life-threatening per se , but even when in the majority of cases the cause is benign it may signal a major disease.Some causes related to spontaneus bleeding due to disorder in cuagulation like liver dysfunction (cirrhosis or hepatits), leukemia (or other blood disease) and even severe hypertension (epistaxis signaling nasal blood vessel rupture that preceded brain vessel rupture causing cerebral hemorrhge)

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  • just watched the last episode since i was not able to watch it during it’s airing here in Philippines. and i can’t get enough of it. think i must watch Yi San. thanks to all who posted here that lead me to research about the casts especially Han Hyo-joo. i was a fan of Endless Love series, and was wondering back then why didn’t i have known what was the fourth installment of it, considering it’s subtitles which comprises the seasons(e.g. autumn in my heart, winter sonata, summer scent). never did i realize that it was Spring Waltz that i’ve been waiting for! after learning that Han Hyo-joo was the lead star in it made my heart jump out. i’m so glad to know that the girl i have come to love in Dong Yi was the one who finish my much awaited series (Endless Love) in my whole life. so again thank you guys!

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  • I love it when Dong yi meet king
    It’s so romantic
    But I have a question: which episode dong yi kiss the king?
    Please answer to me

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  • I do not know much about korean history, since the day that I watched dong yi through youtube. I began t to read the history of korean in wikipedia. By the way just to let you know, I like dong yi, she was gorgeous and virtue. Her children stood and blessed her, and the king sukjong praised her. I believed in real life she surpassed all her circumstances, she lived a overcoming life. thank you.

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  • HI
    I just wanna know how many consorts king sukjon had

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    • king sukjong used to have 4 to 5 consorts by his side starting jang hae bin who was later became queen after queen inyeon was a second consort of king sukjong who was deposed and came back after jang hae bin dethroned and never seen again and queen inhon who was third consort of king sukjong who got the positon as queen after jang hae bin was killed by the office of investgations and finally dong yi who was fourth consort of king sukjong since dong yi was king sukjong favorite royal consort

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    • He had historically 10 wives- Ill put them all in order. the date between parentheses is the date the became Suk-jong wive or Queen.

      1 (1674)Queen Ingyeong died of pox (had 3 girls died at childbirth)
      2 (1676)Gwi-in Kim(died 1688 when Jang hui bin was Queen) Childess
      3 (1681) Queen Inhyeon (the one depicted in the drama) childless
      4 (1686)YeongBin of Kim clan (Jang hui bin banish her in 1688)childless
      5 (1686)Jang hui bin became Queen in 1688 (crown prince)
      6 (1693)Choi suk bin(Dong Yi)had three babies.one of them Yeongjo
      7 (1698)Consort MyeongBin she had one son. died in 1703
      8 (1702)Queen Inwon became third queen in 1702 – childless
      9 (1705) So-ui Choe – childless
      10 (1707)So-ui Yu – childless

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  • What is the cause for the death of Crown Prince?

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    • u mean jang hae bins son well jang hae bins son king geyongjong probley died of an unknown ilinesss in history books so no body knows for sure

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      • I believe of botulism. Homer said in his book History of Korea that he died after he eat some seafood in bad state, but others blame on Jang hui bin his mother, who attacked
        him when she lead to execution. I believe because contaminated seafood for his symptoms.

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        • nah i dont think its boutlism but if i remember correctly if i was watching esopoide 56 57 geyongjong died of stress since his mother jang hae bin wanted her son to become the king of joseon after king sukjong passed away in 1721 after dong yi died in 1718 and geyongjong was never attacked by his mother if u watch the espoide correctly get all the info and facts before stating everything

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          • and who the hell is homer if u mean homer simpson well homer dont even know korean history somebody been watch simpson tv shows lo

  • First of all, Dong Yi and Jang Ok Jung Live in Love were merely historical fiction dramas, meaning that much of the details were created by their scriptwriters rather than being actually recorded in history.

    The Joseon Annals did not record anything about Jang being the King’s favourite, nor did it say who his true love was. We will never know what truly happened in history, nor will we know if Jang and Sukjong really shared a true romance.

    However, Jang’s beauty was recorded, and she was a supporter of the Norons. She was probably more involved in political matters than having shared a true romance with Sukjong.

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    • agree with you in almost everything.. but jang hui bin was back up from soron.. XD

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      • nope the soron was like the south faction who backed up dong yi up so she could work her to suk bin which was the highest rank for a conbuine like dong yi or jang hae bin but jang hae bin was backed by the noron faction which worked with the south faction to make her son the crown prince and of course the king of course but king geyongjong ruled joseon for 2 years 1720 1721 unit king yeonjo ascend to the throne in 1721 1776

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        • King brockjong2000

          Oh boy..! you have all your facts messed up XD

          In history Soron backed up Jang hui bin, Actually she probably enter to palace thru her family connections with soron, jang hui bin came from chuning class (middle class) they were not nobles but they were professionals, her family came from a long line of translators. Thats how she could serve under Great Queen Dowager as a lady in waiting.

          Choi suk bin was from Cheoning class, the lowest class in society, in the same level as slaves, and that was her status in palace, very low, she was not nearly close to the king or any royal in palace. At the time she was not back up of any Political faction, she was just a lowly servant, she was orphaned, her parent had died when she was 3 years old, and it looks like the familiar that was on charge of her could not longer care for her so they “sell” her to palace. So she was almost invisible between the palace walls. She got the attention of Noron, I think maybe until she became Bin or Inwon adopted Yeoning Geum. Then they turned their head on Yeoning geum as possible King. Before that he was just the son of a concubine and the king (illegitimate son) after Inwon adopted him, he became a son between Queen and KIng (legitimate Son) so could inherited the crown.

          the son of Jang hui bin did not died because stress, he was sick thru his live, he actually was often absent of government because the pain his illness caused him, this is blamed on Jang Hui bin, who is said attacked her son when she was being lead to execution, this was first reported for the personal doctor and private teacher of Crown prince. Also in her memories “Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong”. the daughter in law of King Yeongjo made reference to it, In his book “History of Korea” Homer Hulbert also mention this. But historiographer now agree that although his suffering was caused because his mother atack, his death was probably caused for eating contaminated seafood, as for the symptoms of the illness that cause his death. Homer described this in his book The history of Korea
          ” in the second place a man who will eat shrimps in mid-summer, that have been brought thirty miles from the sea without ice might expect to die.

          This was not mention in Dong Yi, because Dong Yi is not a documentary but a Show, Just like Jang Ok Jung is just a show. (Although for me Dong yi is the one from those two, who is closer to the depiction of the characters in real history).

          In 1718 King sukjong named Regent to his older son (the son of Jang hui bin) and retire from politics. Sukjong died in 1720 and then gyeongjong reigned 1720-1724 and then Yeongjo 1724-1776

          If you want to know the real history of the characters I suggest you to look for information, in internet you can find plenty of webs where you can look up.

          Cheers!

          Reply
  • Its jang ok jung is the real evil. If we watch drama series jang ok jung we may be get the answer,,,

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    • I don’t think she was the “Evil” but i don’t think she was the “martyr” I agree with Kdrama that She was probably more involved in political matters than having a true romance with Sukjong, Jang ok jung it is not even historical is base in a novel…also dong yi.. I have seen both, I loved Dong yi, JOJ brought me here.

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    • Jang ok Jung”? Jang Ok jung it is just a drama based in a novel of 2008. You can not present a drama as evidence, rather present reliable sources such as books, historiographer opinions, documents, etc. But chances are you are going to find mostly information against her, 70% of Jang Ok jung is made up and the other are twisted facts. I have watched Jang Ok Jung, as a drama is ok. but not credibility or whatsoever as a historical source. But yes Jang ok jung is a nice fairtale. Pity it was not true.

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  • u know what dong yi and jang hae bin was real first of all dong yi she entered as a lowly slave and then began working her way up to royal consort bin suk after king sukjong made dong yi his conbuine but jang hae bin was nothing but a hater for life who got nothing but she derserved and we know what that is death since jang hae bin always got what she wanted when she wanted but she nothing but a courrpt conbuine who got she derserves

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  • I love this story so after reading these comments I think u have put a wrong story on tv. Is that true?

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  • Hi
    sorry to go off topic but I would like to know that if any of you have seen the korean drama “Yi San”.

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  • So how did d king and dongyi truely meet? in real life i mean..

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  • I have watch dong yi moredone a hundred times. I still watch it when thr’s no other choice for me to watch. I simply luv this historical drama. I never been know anything about korea history but after watching drama, I started to read more about the monarchy of korea. I wish they would still honor that history like England. (Do ng – yi) (yi-san) and (bo bo Jing jing) from Chinese drama is the best among all historical drama. They are like classic with (gone with the wind) I wish they will make more historical drama like this. Lately they have been some historical drama that doesn’t cuptured anyone.

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  • loved dong yi soo much! replay on tv again??

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    • Get the DVD instead but make it’s not translated got the DVD at home watched the last espoide of song yi half of the translated material is misspelled so get the right the DVD when buying from a DVD store or retailer

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  • It’s a beautiful story. One that I hope might adapted for the west to view.

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  • It was recorded thar Dong Yi entered the palace at the age of 7 how on earth she was able to have a lover inside the palace under strictest law. This clearly shows that the hearsay about her first son not being King’s son is false accusations.

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