Constructing the Ideal Victim: Glorification of Crown Prince Sado in South Korean Popular Culture

The tragic death of Crown Prince Sado in a rice chest in 1762 has been the subject of much discussion, not only in the academic world but also in South Korean popular culture. In contrast to historical data that suggest that Sado was mentally ill and a violent person whose death was necessary to safeguard the position of the Yi royal house, popular culture has presented him in a more sympathetic light as a victim, blaming political power struggles for his alienation from his father King Yǒngjo (r. 1724-76) and his eventual death. This article explores this glorification of Crown Prince Sado in South Korean popular culture. Cases in point are a walltile painting in downtown Seoul, which portrays the procession of King Chŏngjo to the grave of Prince Sado in 1795, the TV series Pimil ŭi mun (Secret Door, 2014), the film Sado (The Throne, 2015), and examples from pseudohistory that apply the Sado narrative to portray Korean history as an ongoing battle between good (us) and evil (them). To understand the narratological motivation behind the glorification of Sado, the article also makes use of historical sources such as Hanjungnok (Records written in silence), the memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng, and Hyŏllyungwŏn chi (Hyǒllyung tomb epitaph), the epitaph King Chŏngjo wrote for his father. We argue that, for the public, Sado has become the epitome of a tragic hero who fell victim to the forces of the establishment.