Sukchong's Triangle: The Politics of Passion

By the latter half of the Chosŏn period, the Korean vernacular written in hangŭl had become a well-established means of descriptive and imaginative expression, even though Chinese written in hanmun continued to be the preferred medium for documenting and authenticating the historical record. This study compares the official and impersonal record in the Sukchong shillok against the more colorful and subjective text of the Inhyŏn wanghu chŏn to flesh out both the politics and the personalities in the dramatic story of a love triangle involving King Sukchong (r. 1674-1720), the noble and virtuous Queen Inhyŏn, and the low-born and passionate Lady Chang.