Myeong-bin Bak

Royal Noble Consort Park Myeong-Bin of the Miryang Park clan (? - 15 July 1703) was a concubine of King Sukjong of Joseon.

Biography

She was the daughter of Park Hyo-geon (박효건), a yangban of the Miryang Park clan (밀양 박씨), and entered the royal court as a gungnyeo. She was originally a court matron (상궁) before she caught Sukjong’s attention. In 1698, on the fourth day of the eleventh month of the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Sukjong, she was made a royal concubine with the rank of Suk-won. In 1699, on the twenty-third day of the tenth month in the twenty-fifth year of King Sukjong's reign, she was elevated to the rank of Suk-ui after giving birth to a son, Yi Hwon (Prince Yeonryeong), and in 1702, on the eighteenth day of the tenth month in the twenty-eighth year of King Sukjong's reign, she was elevated to the rank of Myeong-bin. (Myo 명 - meaning "bright") She died in 1703, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the twenty-ninth year of King Sukjong's reign.

It was said that Prince Yeonryeong was King Sukjong's favorite son. A royal son would usually be declared as a prince when he reached 6 to 7 years old, but Sukjong made an exception for Lady Park’s son, who was five at that time. He made him a formal prince with the title Prince Yeonryeong (연령군).He died in 1719, 1 year before Sukjong's death in 1720. King Sukjong was greatly disturbed and saddened by the news. He wanted to attend to the funeral details himself, but couldn't because he was very ill and officials opposed, fearing it'd worsen his health. It was sad that Prince Yeonryeong didn't have any children, so Sukjong adopted another prince to be Prince Yeonryeong's "adopted child" to continue the line. Prince Yeonryeong was buried next to his mother Lady Park Myeongbin.

Notes

https://thetalkingcupboard.com/joseon/royal-ladies-of-joseon-dynasty/