Chŏng Nanjŏng

In this Korean name, the family name is Chŏng.

Chŏng Nanjŏng (Korean: 정난정; Hanja: 鄭蘭貞; 1509 – November 13, 1565) was a Korean de facto politician of the Joseon period.

Chŏng Nanjŏng
Hangul	정난정
Hanja	鄭蘭貞
RR	Jeong Nanjeong
MR	Chŏng Nanjŏng

Biography

Lady Chŏng was born in Hansŏng into the Chogye Jeong clan to Chŏng Yun'gyŏm, a deputy general, and his concubine, Lady Nam. She was the illegitimate daughter among her father's three sons and two daughters. Lady Chŏng's mother was a slave because she was involved in treason, and was eventually assigned to the house of Chŏng Yun'gyŏm.

When she was young, she fell in love with Yun Wŏnhyŏng, the younger brother of Queen Munjeong, and became his concubine. Lady Chŏng soon became the influential concubine of Yun Wŏnhyŏng, who himself was the maternal uncle of 13th King Myeongjong, and Chief State Councilor during 1563 to 1565.

Later, when Kim Allo's conspiracy to dethrone Queen Munjeong was discovered, Kim Allo was investigated and she poisoned Kim Allo's first cousin once removed, Yun Wŏnhyŏng's first wife, Lady Kim of the Yonan Kim clan. After that, in the 8th year of King Myeongjong's reign, Queen Munjeong had made it a priority to make Chŏng Nanjŏng her sister-in-law.

She soon became the second wife with full status. She became very close to her sister-in-law Queen Munjeong, and gained a good amount of wealth. But because she was the second wife, the children of Lady Kim inherited the wealth of the clan rather than her own.

In 1565, after the death of the Queen, both Chŏng and Yun were exiled from the capital and, unable to make a political comeback, both committed suicide by poison (Chŏng first,^[1] followed by her husband five days later^[2])

Family

• Father - Chŏng Yun'gyŏm (정윤겸; 鄭允謙; 1463–1536)
  • Grandfather - Chŏng On (정온; 鄭溫; 1435–1508)
  • Grandmother - Lady Wŏn of the Wonju Won clan (원주 원씨; 1428–?); eldest daughter of Won Ja-min (원자민, 元自敏; 1380–?)
• Mother - Lady Nam (남씨; 南氏; 1473–?)
• Husband - Yun Wŏnhyŏng (윤원형; 尹元衡; 1509 – 18 November 1565)
• Issue
  • Daughter - Lady Yun of the Papyeong Yun clan (파평 윤씨; 1545–?)
    • Son-in-law - Yi Chomin (이조민; 李肇敏; 1541–?)
      • Granddaughter - Lady Yi of the Yongin Yi clan (용인 이씨; 1560–?)

In fiction

• Portrayed by Kang Soo-Yeon in the 2001 SBS TV Series Ladies in the Palace.
• Portrayed by Park Joo-mi in the 2016 MBC TV series The Flower in Prison.^[3]
• Portrayed by Yoon Ji-min in the 2019 TV Chosun TV series Joseon Survival Period.

See also

• Eulsa literati purge
• Jungjong of Joseon