Wonbin Hong

Early life

Lady Hong was born into the Pungsan Hong clan, as the second child and only daughter of Hong Nak-chun and his wife, a lady from the Ubong Yi clan. Through her father, Lady Hong was a distant relative of Lady Hyegyŏng (mother of King Jeongjo), as well as a descendant of Hong Ju-won and Princess Jeongmyeong.

Palace life

Lady Hong was chosen as a concubine for King Jeongjo when she was 11 years old, in June 1778. She was the first royal consort in Joseon's history to enter the palace with the senior first rank (빈; 嬪; bin); her honorific title was won (원; 元), meaning "primary". It is said that she was treated like a formal consort in the Chinese court, receiving morning greetings, and had posthumous honors conferred to her upon her death. Her elder brother, Hong Guk-yeong, was a chief royal secretary who hoped to enhance his power through her marriage with the king.

However, she died suddenly the year after her appointment.^{[page needed]}

After death

King Jeongjo himself composed a eulogy for her. Lady Hong was then given the posthumous name Insuk (인숙; 仁淑; lit. ''Benevolent Purity''). She was initially buried within the current grounds of Korea University, and her tomb was called Inmyeongwon (인명원; 仁明園); however, it was later downgraded to Wonbinmyo (원빈묘; 元嬪墓) and moved to the Seosamneung Cluster in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Today, the former site of Inmyeongwon remains within the university grounds and is known as Aegineung (애기능).^{[citation needed]}