Seong Ui Bin's concubine who became the inspiration for Lee Se Young's character in the MBC drama 'The Red Sleeve' turned out to have a sad life. Here's the full explanation.
"The Red Sleeve" became one of the most talked about dramas today. The reason is, the drama, starring Junho 2PM and Lee Se Young, is based on the love story of King Jeongjo and Seong Deok Im who holds the title of Concubine Seong Ui Bin.
The love story of this different caste couple began even when King Jeongjo had not yet ascended the throne or was still the Crown Prince of Yi San. However, he had to wait a dozen years because his page was rejected twice by Concubine Seong.
Interestingly, Seong Deok Im is said to be similar to Chief Hong Du Sik (Kim Seon Ho) in the drama "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" who always appears when someone needs help. In "The Red Sleeve", Seong Deok Im always appears whenever Crown Prince Yi San gets into trouble.
Behind the depiction, Seong Ui Bin's concubine who was the inspiration for this drama turned out to have a pretty sad story. Because she died shortly after marrying King Jeongjo and his descendants died at a young age.
The birth of a king's son in the dynastic era is like the birth of a presidential candidate in modern times. In ancient times, the birth of a prince was an important event that could help the royal family maintain its power.
According to historical records, King Jeongjo ascended the throne in 1776 when he was 24 years old. However, he was only blessed with a prince 6 years later after marrying Consort Seong Ui Bin.
He was Prince Munhyo son of Consort Seong Ui Bin. At that time, Prince Munhyo was expected to be the next king and he lived as the Crown Prince.
Two years later, Seong Ui Bin gave birth to a daughter who eventually died at a young age. Likewise with Prince Munhyo who died when he was four years old, two years after the birth of his younger brother.
Prince Munhyo died in a situation where there was only one prince, so his influence on the royal family was enormous. In this situation, the whole country is looking forward to Seong Ui Bin's third pregnancy.
Because the royal lineage was so precious, Seong Ui Bin ended up getting pregnant for the third time. He also received a lot of love from the royal family for successfully giving heirs to King Jeongjo.
Unfortunately, Concubine Seong Ui Bin died while pregnant with her third child so the baby was never born. That's why her life ended in just four years after becoming the king's concubine.
The death of Concubine Seong Ui Bin and his children was certainly a big blow to King Jeongjo. The king who continued to mourn even made the residence of Concubine Seong Ui Bin his place of work.
In addition, King Jeongjo also wrote an epitaph in memory of Concubine Seong Ui Bin. It contains a long record of their love journey until the king's sadness after being left by his lover. (wk/eval)
