뉴스레터

Empress Gi (fourth from left) as portrayed in a painting by Zhou Lang (周郞), an artist from the Yuan Dynasty of China;
although the clothing style portrayed here is being debated

Empress Gi, an MBC TV series that went off the air at the end of April after a six-month run, was as popular as it was controversial about its historical inaccuracies. Interestingly, Empress Gi was portrayed as a heroic character in the TV series.

Shin Don was another MBC TV series featuring Empress Gi, which aired from September 2005 until May 2006, where she was given a minor role and portrayed as an essentially evil character. There is a world of difference between the 2005 version and the 2013 version of Empress Gi (1315-1369?) and King Chunghye of Goryeo (featured in the series as Wang Yoo, a fictitious character based on him) as portrayed in the TV series and its original novel. Given that soap operas are, in their nature, responsive to popular tastes and trends, it is interesting to observe the change in the images and perceptions of these characters between those years.

While the original Korean novel Empress Gi that inspired the TV series portrayed Empress Gi, King Chunghye. and Temur the emperor of Yuan dynasty in a positive light, the real persons have a bad reputation among historians. For example, Temur, after his death, was given the title Huidi (惠帝), one of the posthumous titles typically reserved for incompetent emperors.

Between Fact and Imagination

This novel is based on historical facts, but uses fictitious settings and imagination. Toghon Temur Khan, the last emperor of Yuan, who stole Gi's heart away from King Chunghye, is portrayed to enjoy dried persimmon from Goryeo. Whether this is true or not is hard to confirm, but it is true that when women from Goryeo were offered to the emperor of Yuan, they brought with them 'Goryeoyang.' "Goryeoyang was the term that referred to the form of Goryeo culture found within Yuan." (Empress Gi, Vol. 1, p. 243) Since an empress from Goryeo is noble compared to eunuchs or court ladies, her presence in Yuan's imperial palace must have contributed greatly to spreading Goryeoyang across the country.

Interestingly, in the novel, Empress Gi's power comes from the kingdom of Goryeo and Goryeo migrants living in about a hundred Goryeo Villages. "King Chunghye took control of trade in Goryeo, and secured hundreds of warehouses to export goods through Byeokrando (port) to Yuan. Empress Gi purchased these imported good and sold them all the way to Arabia and the countries bordering on Western China as well as in regions across Yuan. The proceeds from trade went to the central office called Jajeongweon established by King Chungseon of Goryeo, and the Goryeo Villages in direct charge of trade had become the richest villages in Yuan." (Empress Gi, Vol. 2, p. 125)

In other words, the novel portrayed Empress Gi as an administrator and trader as well as the driving force behind the "Korean Wave" in the late Goryeo period. But it is true that in the later years of Yuan, the confusion over who should be the next Khan continued in the heart of the empire, and Empress Gi was evidently a part of it. The real Empress Gi may be far from being a heroic figure. But try to understand her portrayal in the TV series as a projection of desires in the world rather than as a historical fact, and you will see that portrayals in historical dramas, too, can be effective in expressing various wishes and desires about history.