Hangul 어우동, 어을우동 Role Writer Name Uhwudong Uhwudong | Hanja 於宇同, 於乙宇同 Died October 18, 1480, Hansung | |
Parents Jung Gwi-deok, Park Yoon-chang | ||
Revised Romanization Eoudong, Eoeuludong McCune–Reischauer Oudong, Ouludong | ||
Uhwudong (어우동, 於宇同, born 1440?, died October 18, 1480) and Uheulwudong (어을우동; 於乙宇同, Eoeuldong, Aeulwoodong) was a Korean dancer, writer, artist, and poet from a noble family (Park) in the Joseon Dynasty of the 15th century. Most of her work has not been preserved.
Contents
Life
Uhwudong was from was a noble family of the Joseon Dynasty. She married Yidong, prince Taegang (태강수 이동, 泰江守 李仝), the great grandson of Joseon Taejong. She was forced to divorce him on account of adultery charges and subsequently she became an active poet, writer, artist, and dancer.
She was noted for her exceptional beauty, dancing, singing talent, poetry, quick wit and charm, and extraordinary intellect. Her personal life has become almost myth-like, having inspired novels, movies, TV series, operas, and numerous poets. She was reinstated by after the destruction of the Joseon Dynasty. After the destruction of the Joseon Dynasty in 1910, due to her renowned assertive and independent nature, she has become a modern popular cultural icon of Korea.
Works
Although only a handful of sijo (formatted verse used in Korea, as in English sonnet) and geomungo pieces exist today, they nonetheless show skilled craftsmanship of words and musical arrangement. These verses hint at the tragedy of her lost loves. Some are also responses to numerous famous classic Chinese poems and literature.