How accurate is recent sageuk in terms of historical court etiquette, hierarchy, and the role of women (mostly around the Joseon time period)?

by emenenop

I have gotten hooked on Korean historical drama for some strange reason (it's not a genre I would have thought I'd like), and I'm currently finishing up Hwajung. I'm very interested in the way women are portrayed, and all the intricacies of the court. If it helps, I seem to be drawn more to the story lines where women rise up through the hierarchy. (The Great Queen Seondeuk, Jewel in the Palace, Goddess of Fire, Empress Ki, etc.)

Though I've researched the people mentioned and the time period, I haven't found any concrete commentary as to the accuracy. Thanks for any help!

IntransigentMemorial

It varies depending on what the show is, although you always need to carry a packet of salt around with you when you're watching sageuk. This is complicated by the fact that I don't actually watch these. Nevertheless I'll try my best:

  • Queen Seondeok: Assuming you mean [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Seondeok_(TV_series)) and that the Wikipedia summary is accurate, we have no reason to believe that Cheonmyeong was the twin of Seondeok (we actually know very little about Cheonmyeong in the first place), nor that Seondeok ever lived in Central Asia in any part of her life, nor that she was ever a hwarang, nor that Kim Yushin did any of the things attributed to him here. It is likely that Mishil never existed. In other words, it is purely a work of fiction.
  • The Jewel in the Palace: Janggeum existed, but we know little about her, so it's safe to say that most of the main plot is fictional (although less so than Seondeok - we know far, far more about Joseon than Silla). For interest these are all the mentions of Janggeum in the Joseon Veritable Records/Annals, virtually the only source we have about her:
  • She is first mentioned as a physician who helped the queen give birth in 1515, the next entry has the Consulate argue for her punishment because of a mishap during the process which the king declined
  • She is rewarded with a host of other physicians for curing the illness of the Queen Dowager in 1517
  • In 1524 she is mentioned as the best of the female physicians who helps treat the king's disease: she is given a chea position for this. Normally a chea is a sinecure, but here it's not the case and she actually has to work
  • She is rewarded in 1533 for the king's recovery after what he calls an illness of several months, along with a host of other physicians
  • She is mentioned in 1544 as one of the four physicians the king has ordered to discuss a remedy for his cold, the same year all four (and a few others) are rewarded presumably for curing his cold
  • The same year, as Jungjong is dying, she seems to have taken a key role in taking personal care of the king as she explains the conditions of the king to which the court is not privy; we do not know what happened after the king's death
  • The main character in Goddess of Fire did not exist. According to Wikipedia she was based on Baek Paseon, but "Yoo Jeong" appears to bear little resemblance to Baek. Anyhow, a man named Yi Sampyeong / Kanagae Sanbee was much more important WRT Korean pottery in Japan than Baek.

If you have a question about a specific part/aspect of the show, feel free to ask.