Who are the top 10 Korean Women in historical drama?
(updated 2021) It’s International Women’s Day (March 8th). So I was thinking about famous women through history who have appeared on our screens. And I came up with this list of the top 10 Korean women in historical drama. I’ve put them in the order that they lived historically.
1 QUEEN SEONDEOK of SILLA
picture: Queen Seondeok MBC 2009
She became the first Queen to reign Silla and ruled for 14 years (632 to 647). At that time the three kingdoms (Silla, Baekje, and Goguryo) were often at war. And she is known for her skill at politics and leadership. Her father King Jinpyeong chose her as his heir to the throne because she was intelligent (and he also had no sons!)
As we know, it was rare to have female rulers at the time. But the status of women was higher than in the patriarchal Confucian society of Joseon. She’s been compared to Queen Elizabeth the 1st of England as she led a renaissance in art and thinking. And she died without an heir too.
Queen Seondeok was a hugely popular MBC drama in 2009 reaching ratings of over 40%.
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2 ARTIST & MOTHER: Shin Saimdang
picture: Light’s Diary SBS 2017
If you ask anyone in Korea who is the most famous Korean woman they might say Shin Saimdang (1504-1551).
She was an artist and poet. But it was as a ‘good wife, wise mother‘ that she represented the ideal qualities of a woman of the Joseon period. (1392-1910). And her son Yi I (1536-1584) is said to be the most famous scholar in Korean history.
Her claim to fame these days is that she is the first woman to appear on Korean money. See the 50,000 won bill. (her son is on the 5,000 won note. Here’s more on Korean money)
Whilst I think it’s great to honour motherhood I also see the feminist’s point of view that choosing her as a contemporary model stereotypes female roles in society.
The 2017 SBS drama about her – Saimdang, Memoir of Colours – caused quite a stir as it stars Lee Young Ae, (of Jewel in the Palace fame, of course). It’s now available on Netflix and I wrote my thoughts on Saimdang, Memoir of Colours here.
It’s set in her home town of Gangneung on the east coast of Gangwon province. The family estate is now open to the public set in a complex with a shrine dedicated to her son and exhibition halls showing their artwork and memorabilia.
Related posts:
Black Bamboo House: the home of Shin Saimdang
Jewel in the Palace Recaps (MBC 2003)
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3 LITERARY CLASSIC CHARACTER: Chunhyang
picture: The Servant 2010
Now let’s move to Namwon in North Jolla province. This is the hometown of Chunhyang, the heroine in the The Story of Chunhyang, a Korean literary classic. It is supposedly based on a true story which occurred during the reign of King Sukjong (r.1674-1720)
The story goes that a young nobleman, Yi Mongnyong, the son of the magistrate of Namwon falls in love and marries Seong Chunhyang, the daughter of a servant class gisaeng.
Normally a nobleman and a servant wouldn’t be able to marry so they overcome strict social barriers to be together. The couple meet for the first time on May 5th in springtime and so Namwon Chunhyang Festival is held every year around that time (Chunhyang’s name means ‘fragrance of spring’, chun = spring, hyang = fragrance)
Apparently, there are over 100 versions of this story of Chunhyang.
It was so popular in Joseon times when the ideal qualities of a woman were virtuousness and faithfulness. Here are some more examples of virtuous Joseon ladies we learned about on a trip to Andong. The story has inspired films such as The Servant (2010). This is a twist to the original story and by the look of the poster (above) promises to be quite saucy…
There’s more info here on our trip to Namwon which also boasts a Chunhyang Theme park. Thanks to the story, there are a lots of ‘romantic’ things to do here. For instance you can stand on the ‘propose zone’ spot by the river and you know, propose. And if you are hoping to get married, you can make a wish at the portrait of Chunhyang at the shrine. Enjoy.
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4 FEMME FATALE: Jang Hee Bin
picture: Jang Ok Jeong: Living in Love SBS 2013
You can’t have a good drama without a great baddie. And who better than Jang Hee Bin, the infamous concubine of King Sukjong? She has appeared in lots of dramas and so is a worthy candidate for the list of top 10 Korean women in historical drama!
She was famous not only for her beauty but for her ambition to be Queen. King Sukjong did end up dethroning his Queen and putting Jang Hee Bin on the throne. But he later restored the Queen to her position and demoted Jang Hee Bin back to a concubine!
She was suspected of several crimes though including using black magic to put a curse on the ill Queen. In the end she drank poison for her crimes along with members of her family. Her son still became King – King Gyeongjong (r.1720-1724).
Jang Hee Bin’s tomb is famous too. Behind the tomb is a large rock but a pine tree managed to break through the rock and grow. Some say that this reveals that her ki (energy) is still very strong.
In the drama Dong Yi (MBC 2010) Jang Hee Bin is the villain. But she’s depicted more sympathetically in Jang Ok Jeong: Living by Love (which I wrote about here) (SBS 2013)
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5 ENTERTAINER: Hwang Jini
picture: Hwang Jini KBS2 2006
The most famous gisaeng was Hwang Jini (1506-1560). And she has appeared in lots of dramas including this KBS2 2006 version starring Ha Ji Won.
If you’re interested in Joseon art, I’ve written posts about the paintings of Shin Yun Bok (1758-1813) like this one (below). They reveal so much about the life of gisaengs and the life of women in general during this period. (Here’s what I thought about Painter of the Wind, a fictional story about Shin Yun Bok’s life – where the painter is female!)
Gisaengs were actually classed as slaves and belonged to the government.
But they were wore beautiful hanbok and were educated and trained in music so that they could entertain wealthy noblemen.
A Gisaeng’s working life was fairly short though. Usually, they had to ‘retire’ from entertaining when they reached 30! But after that, if they had nowhere to go, they could stay on and work in the kitchens or look after other gisaengs’ children. But gisaengs could not expect to lead ordinary family lives.
related posts:
Norigae: perfume accessories for Joseon ladies
What is the Symbolism in Minhwa Folk Art?
‘Diamond Mountain’ a painting of the most famous mountain in Korea
What can we learn about Joseon society through the paintings of Shin Yun Bok?
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6 REGENT: Queen Munjeong (1501-1565)
picture: Mandate of Heaven KBS 2013
Here is Queen Munjeong (played by Park Ji Young) in one of the creepiest sageuk drama scenes ever! Even if it does involve flower petals and what should be a relaxing bath!
King Myeongjong (r.1545-1567) was only 12 years old when he came to the throne. But there were rumours that his ambitious mother, Queen Munjeong, had been involved in the death of the previous King Injong. SHE became Regent and ruled in her son’s place since he was too young.
In fact, she ruled for many years on Myeongjong’s behalf even after he became of age! We can see her dominating character in The Flower in Prison (MBC 2016) where she continues to rule the country (badly) despite her now adult son King Myeongjong doing his best to take over!
In the drama Mandate of Heaven (KBS2 2013) Queen Munjeong is portrayed as so EVIL with no saving graces whatsoever. (she’s even mean to her own son!) This is a fast-paced thriller with gritty gasp-out-loud scenes of sudden violent acts from face slapping to strangling.
There’s a lot going on, but all roads lead to one person: a ruthless Queen desperate for power and the throne single-mindedly sending her death orders to her unscrupulous underlings.
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7 WOMAN IN A MAN’S WORLD: Doctor Dae Jang Geum
picture: Jewel in the Palace MBC 2003
From baddies to goodies. Jewel in the Palace is probably still the most internationally famous drama. And so the main character Dae Jang Geum must be on the list of top 10 Korean women in historical drama. And actress Lee Young Ae appears twice in this list!
At a time when only men were able to become the King’s doctor, Dae Jang Geum broke the tradition. She became the first woman to be the king’s doctor. Jang Geum must have been an actual historical figure as her name appears several times in the Annals of King Jeongjong. But her real life is a mystery. So the drama Jewel in the Palace is pretty much all fiction – especially the bit about her cooking and working in the Royal kitchens!
According to the director, Lee Byoung Hoon, the reason why the theme of the drama is Royal Cuisine is because he didn’t want to do another drama about medicine! It was too soon after his previous medical drama Heojun and viewers would be reminded of that! Read what the director says about making Jewel in the Palace here.
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8 EMPRESS MYEONGSEONG (1851-1895)
picture: The Sword With No Name 2009
She was the wife of King Gojong, the last King of Joseon and the first Emperor of the Korea. She is also known as Queen Min but her title became Empress Myeongseong.
Korea was still a ‘hermit kingdom’ at the end of the 19th century. But Queen Min was a progressive and supported opening up the country to foreign trade and ‘westernization’. Gojong relied on her for much of the decision making in the country, so she had a lot of influence.
She tried to develop stronger relations with Russia so as to weaken Japan’s influence in the country. Unfortunately, this led to her assassination at Gyeongbokgung (palace) by Japanese agents. The Netflix drama Mr Sunshine is set during this time just after Queen Min had been assassinated.
The 2014 KBS drama Gunman in Joseon is set during this time when the hermit kingdom underwent huge change. And the film The Sword with no Name (2009) is a fictional account of her life. Her story was also made into a very popular musical in Korea.
related posts:
What is the time period of Mr Sunshine?
5 Royal Palaces in Seoul and Korean Historical Dramas
Late Joseon Kings and related historical dramas
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9 FREEDOM FIGHTER Yoo Gwan Soon (1902-1920)
Known as Korea’s Joan of Arc, Yoo Gwan Soon was a young woman who became the symbol of Korean Independence. She took part in peaceful protests on March 1st 1919 protesting against Japanese rule but was arrested and died in prison.
Apparently 3000 Korean soldiers were asked in a survey which actress they would like to play Yoo Gwan Soon in a drama about her life and the number one choice was Kim Go Eun.
I’ve finally found a film about her life. A Resistance (2019) stars Go Ah-sung as the young freedom fighter. I haven’t seen the film yet but it has got some terrible reviews!
Related Posts:
Book Review of The Calligrapher’s Daughter
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10 FEMINIST WRITER: Na Hye Seok (1896-1948)
OK, well my final choice of the top 10 Korean women in historical drama is a feminist writer. But this film (or drama) is still waiting to be made! Because even though she was a famous feminist and painter (whose work now sells for loads of money) there are as yet no dramas about Na Hye Seok.
Na Hye Seok was the first feminist writer in Korea and turned away from the ‘good wife, good mother‘ ideal that women had been expected to achieve. Her most famous work is a short story Gyonghui published in 1918 about a woman looking for meaning in her life. This story is now available in English as part of a collection of short stories: Questioning Minds: Short Stories by Modern Korean Women Writers (Hawai‘i Studies on Korea) Paperback – November 3, 2009
Although she married for love (which was rare at the time), her husband eventually filed for divorce with allegations of her adultery.
Na Hye Seok was also the first professional female painter in Korea.
She used her paintings and writings to protest against women’s inequality but rumours of her private life gave her a bad reputation. And so for a time she was used as a WARNING of what happens to women who try to follow their dreams and pursue a life of art! They get a bad reputation and die alone. She was clearly ahead of her time. I think this would make a great drama!
What do you think about my list of top 10 Korean women in historical drama?
related posts
Questions that come up watching Korean historical dramas!
Chart of Joseon Kings and historical dramas.
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Awesome, which of these dramas did you like the most?
Some of these dramas are still on my ‘must-watch’ list! But Jewel in the Palace is memorable as it was one of the first historical dramas that I watched and it kept me hooked for over 50 episodes which is pretty good going!