효의왕후 孝懿王后
Queen consort of Jeongjo and daughter of Gim Si-muk; posthumous style Yegyeong Jasu Hyoui
| Life | 1753 ~ 1821 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 청풍 김씨 |
Life & career
Queen Hyoui (1753-1821), of the Cheongpung Gim clan, was consort of King Jeongjo, the 22nd Joseon king. Her father was Prince Cheongwon Gim Si-muk and her mother Lady Dangseong of the Namyang Hong clan. King Yeongjo is said to have chosen her family, the same as Queen Myeongseong’s, hoping for descendants for Jeongjo. After the triple selection of 1761 she married the 11-year-old crown grandson in February 1762.
According to Lady Hyegyeong’s Hanjungnok, relations were distant while Jeongjo was crown grandson owing to obstruction by Princess Hwawan and others, but improved after he took the throne. During the Imo incident Yeongjo told her to return to her family, but she chose to stay beside her mother-in-law, which earned his praise. She became queen when Jeongjo acceded in 1776.
She had no children but loved King Sunjo like her own son; after Jeongjo’s death she became queen dowager and attended Queen Jeongsun and Lady Hyegyeong devotedly. Records show a birthing office was proposed in 1787 and withdrawn in 1788 when the pregnancy proved false. She died at Jagyeongjeon in Changgyeonggung in 1821 and was posthumously honored as Empress Hyoui under the Korean Empire.
Wedding and Smallpox
A story says the wedding was delayed a year by smallpox, but an account corrects this: she and Jeongjo had mild cases and married the same year. Folk tales of an attempted poisoning are said to lack solid evidence.
Honors and Tomb
The honorific Janghwi was added under Gojong. When Jeongjo was posthumously made emperor under the Korean Empire she became Empress Hyoui; sources give 1898 or 1899. She shares Geolleung with Jeongjo.
Grave
She is buried with Jeongjo in Geolleung, within the Yungeolleung tombs in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi.
Descendants
She had no children and raised King Sunjo as her own.