The saga of King Sukjong, Queen Inhyeon, and Concubine Jang Hui-bin is one of the most famous episodes in the 500-year-long history of Joseon dynasty. Filled with palace intrigues and passionate love affairs, the story of the 19th king of Joseon, his virtuous queen, and one of the most infamous women in the history of Joseon dominates the popular culture and imagination even today. But what was the real story behind the legend?
Professor Minsoo Kang, who recently published a translation of Record of the Virtue of Queen Inhyeon, Lady Min, speaks about the importance of this story, the historical myth that has built around the characters, and its place in modern Korean society.
The King, the Virtuous Queen, and His Wicked Consort
Thursday, March 11, 2021 | 6 PM (EST)
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Minsoo Kang is an associate professor in European history, with specialities in the cultural and intellectual history of France, England, and Germany in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. In addition to articles in numerous journals, he is the author of Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination (Harvard University Press), The Story of Hong Gildong (Penguin Classics), and Invincible and Righteous Outlaw: The Korean Hero Hong Gildong in Literature, History, and Culture (University of Hawaii Press). His translation of Record of the Virtue of Queen Inhyeon, Lady Min appeared in Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature and Culture.
