Why were Queens Seondeok and Jindeok and their reigns seen as positive by Confucians in Korea as opposed to Wu Zetian in China?

by 1Fower

I heard that a lot of criticisms of Empress Wu Zetian of the Zhou was because she was a woman and that her reign was pretty similar or even better than that of other Tang Emperors.

Why are Queens Seondeok and Jindeok written so positively by the Confucian Kim Bushik in the Samguk Sagi though? It seems in-spite of their genders, Korean Confucian scholars generally saw their reigns as positive and the queens as being rulers of merit. Even Queen Jinseong has her own Confucian defenders in the form of Choe Chiwon.

What was so different about these queens, Korea, or Korean Confucianism for these queens to be celebrated as opposed to being vilified, like Empress Wu?

mikedash

There will be more to be said about the Korean side of your question, but I covered the attitude Chinese historians have taken to Wu in an earlier thread, which you might like to review while you wait for fresh responses to your query:

Did Wu Zetian really demand that foreign diplomats perform cunnilingus on her in in open court as a show of obedience--or is this a myth?