The Story of Hyo-ok, Daughter of Mangguchungsin Seong Sam-mun... Jeon Gun-pyo's First Novel

The Daughter of Seong Sam-mun Who Became a Slave, 'Hyo-ok' (Author: Jeon Gun-pyo | Nanda)

The wife of the traitor Seong Sam-mun, Chasan, and their daughter Hyo-ok were given as slaves to Park Jong-woo, the Lord of Unseongbu...

(Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Sejo 2nd year, September 7, 1456)

The novel "Hyo-ok" originated from a single sentence in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Sejo, the Grand Prince Suyang, who usurped the throne from his nephew who ascended at the young age of twelve and ultimately seized the kingship. Amid the turmoil of the Gyeyujeongnan coup he instigated, there were loyal subjects who, heeding King Sejong's dying command to protect the young Crown Prince Danjong, risked even death. These loyal subjects are commemorated as the Six Martyred Ministers (Sayeoksin). Among these steadfast ministers was Seong Sam-mun, who, facing death, left behind a legacy of unwavering faith and an undying flame?his daughter Hyo-ok.

In the novel, Hyo-ok endures the bloody storms from the Gyeyujeongnan coup through the reign of King Yejong. The story begins with lamenting a chaotic era where loyal subjects become traitors and treacherous officials become meritorious subjects, and progresses with a vow to rebuild the era with righteousness and justice. The author describes the spirit that runs through the Joseon era as "a heart that mourns those who died tragically for loyalty and faith, shedding tears with them," and though small and fragile, "an unextinguishable candle" that ultimately illuminates the dark valley?this is the life of Hyo-ok.

The novel vividly portrays the sorrow of loyal subjects who were tortured and annihilated by the schemes of the wicked, and the piercing loyalty engraved with a single drop of red blood. The journey of Hyo-ok, who went from a noblewoman to a slave in an instant, facing hardships yet seeing the world clearly with pure eyes and opening a path forward, is depicted both poignantly and beautifully. It is a story of the Changnyeong Seong clan, who "created the loyalty of Joseon," and of righteous people who, to keep alive the flame named Hyo-ok, add their faith and follow with hope. It is also the struggle of Hyo-ok herself, who blooms with all her strength to become a fire and light.

The author passed the civil service examination and worked as a public official for a long time. Perhaps considered late, he began writing after falling deeply into the fascination of history and literature well past the age of fifty. "Hyo-ok" is the first novel by Jeon Gun-pyo, former Commissioner of the National Tax Service.