Im Seong-gu

Im Seong-gu (; ) was a Korean intersex person from the early Joseon period, whose life is recorded in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty.

Biography

The dates of Im Seong-gu's life are unknown, but part of it is recorded in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, in Book 8 - the Veritable Records of Seonjo (Revised). In the annals, Im Seong-gu is referred to as a "man from Gilju", who married a man and a woman. It also discusses how they were full of both ying and yang, which expressed itself through their gender. They were raised as a girl, and later married, but the husband was shocked to see their body on the wedding night. They later re-married to a woman.

In 1548, the Joseon court decided that Im Seong-gu was disturbing society and exiled them.

Historiography An alternative interpretation of the Veritable Records describes Im Seong-gu as a bisexual man.