Consort Suk of the Choe clan
| Suk-bin Choi | |
|---|---|
| Royal Noble Consort rank 1 | |
| Tenure | 1699 - 9 April 1718 |
| Born | December 17, 1670 |
| Died | April 9, 1718 (aged 47) Ihyeon Palace, South Korea |
| Burial | Soryeongwon |
| Spouse | King Sukjong of Joseon |
| Issue | King Yeongjo of Joseon |
| House | Haeju Choi |
| Father | Choi Hyo-won |
| Suk-bin Choe | |
| Hangul | 숙빈 최씨 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Sukbin Choessi |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sukpin Ch'oessi |
Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choi clan (Hangul: 숙빈최씨; Hanja: 淑嬪崔氏) (17 December 1670 – 9 April 1718) was one of the best known royal concubines of King Sukjong of Joseon.
The future Royal Noble Consort Suk was born in 1670 on the sixth day of the eleventh lunar month in the eleventh year of the reign of Hyeonjong of Joseon. She was the younger daughter of Choi Hyo-won and Lady Hong of Namyang (1639–1673). (Hangul: 최효원; Hanja: 崔孝元; 1638–1672) She had one older brother, Choi Dong-hu (Hangul: 최후; Hanja: 崔垕), who married Lady An of Sunheung, and one older sister who married Seo Jeon (Hangul: 서전; Hanja: 徐專).
She entered the palace at the age of 7. She belonged to the "cheonmin" class which was the lowest class during the Joseon Dynasty. How she and the King had their first encounter is unknown. The most accepted version is that she was a "musuri", i.e. a water maid, in the palace, i.e. a palace slave, during the time when Queen Inhyeon was deposed and exiled, and the concubine, Jang Hui-Bin, had acquired the status of queen. One night, Choi Suk Bin was praying for Queen Inhyeon's well being when King Sukjong of Joseon, who was returning to the palace from a trip, overheard her and was moved by her words. The book 수문록 authored by Yi Mun Jeong (1656–1726) describes the events that led to the execution of Jang Hui-Bin. The author who lived during Sukjong's time, recorded the encounter as follows:
"One night, the King [Sukjong] couldn't sleep, and suffering from insomnia decided to go out. When returning to the palace and passing by the servants' chambers, he suddenly heard sobbing coming from a small room. Out of curiosity, he took a peep into the room, then to his surprise in this neat and tidy room, he saw there was a setup of an offering for a banquet. He then saw a young palace Musuri dressed in her official uniform, weeping bitterly in front of the table set for a memorial ritual. The memorial tablet was set for the former Queen Inhyeon. The King was surprised, since Queen Inhyeon had been deposed. The Musuri had placed the memorial tablet because the deposed Queen Inhyeon had sacrificed herself for the King's sake. But fearing Queen Jang Hui Bin's influence, no one dared to commemorate the deposed Queen Inhyeon, as no one wanted to be accused and executed. The King was surprised that even under these perilous circumstances someone dared to risk death to honor and pray for Queen Inhyeon's well being, and he spoke to her. The Musuri (later to become Choi Suk Bin) heard his voice, and turning around, was stunned to see the King. Recognizing him, she knelt before him and he asked her for an explanation. The Musuri answered with a trembling voice, "Chon Na, I used to serve under Queen Inhyeon when she was Queen. Today is her birthday, I cannot forget the kindness that Queen Inhyeon rendered to me when I served under her, thus privately I set a memorial for her. Please punish me with death." Hearing such an extreme plea, the King was taken aback and was astonished. Others in her situation would have played safe and not put themselves at risk, but this Musuri risked death to honor her former queen. Commendable and virtuous indeed was she and the King, finding himself witnessing this, was moved. He then brought the young Musuri to his bed chambers. His feelings turned from sympathy into fondness and then into love, and he spent many nights with her. Over time, this Musuri came to be known as Choi Suk Bin".
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