Imagining a Feminine Icon: Multiple Metamorphoses of Hwang Chin-i in Cinema and Television

This article focuses on how images of Hwang Chin-i, one of the most fascinating characters in Korean literature and media, have evolved over time as well as how she could have maintained her position as a representative feminine icon in cinema and television. Characterizations of Hwang Chin-i have been reinterpreted according to the ethos of different ages, partially conditioned by the public persona of the top actresses of those periods. Despite the many versions of the Hwang Chin-i narrative, none has fully presented all the fascinating facets of her personality such as her artistry, her devastating social critiques, and her sexuality. Each version represents the values pursued by the audiences of those times. This is mainly because the historical dramas have tended to show audiences what they want to see rather than what really happened.