Royal Consort Gwiin Jo

Jo (; 1619 – 24 January 1652), of the Okcheon Jo clan, widely known as Jo, was a consort of Injo of Joseon. She is remembered today as one of the greatest femme fatales in Korean history.

Biography Early life She was initially arranged to become the maid of a lord's daughter, but instead became a palace woman. She used to serve Queen Inyeol's brother-in-law, and the queen was the one who arranged for her to enter the palace.

Royal favorite She caught King Injo's eye, and became his favorite consort overnight; her rank also changed rapidly, from the lowest to , , , and was finally declared a royal consort of the junior first rank.

No one could beat her in terms of receiving the king’s affection; both Queen Jangnyeol and Jang failed to receive Injo’s love.

Her personality was described as that of a sensual but cunning woman, and those who were in her bad book would not be safe in front of the king. Because of this, people inside the palace feared her. It was rumored that Lady Jo disturbed the relationship between Injo and Queen Jangnyeol, with the intention to tear them apart.

Feud with the crown princess Lady Jo harbored hatred towards the family of Crown Prince Sohyeon, particularly Crown Princess Minhoe. Since the day she reached the rank of , she would badmouth them in front of the king and it became a common thing for her to slander them with false accusations. Although there was no record of her involvement with Crown Prince Sohyeon's death, her slanders did not stop after the crown prince died. Because of that, Crown Princess Minhoe suspected her of poisoning her husband. The acupuncturist who treated Crown Prince Sohyeon before his death was Yi Hyeong-ik, who was rumored to be in a relationship with Lady Jo's mother.

Lady Jo accused the crown princess of attempting to poison Injo, leading to the crown princess' execution.

Later life After King Injo's death, she was discovered to be involved in an attempt to put a curse on Queen Jangnyeol and on the queen's niece. Kim Chajŏm was her accomplice and was executed. King Hyojong decided to spare the life of Princess Hyomyeong, his half-sister, since she was not involved in the incident. Lady Jo was sentenced to death by poisoning, while her mother, who was also an accomplice, died before she could receive her punishment. There were officials suggesting that Lady Jo be stripped of her position as a royal consort but out of respect for his father who treasured her, King Hyojong did not go through with the idea.

Family Father: Jo Gi (; 1574–?) Mother Biological: Lady, of the Cheongju Han clan (청주 한씨; 1578–1652), personal name Ok (옥); Jo Gi's second wife Step: Lady, of the Cheongsong Shim clan (청송 심씨; 1575–?); daughter of Shim Heun (심흔; 沈忻; 1549–?) Sibling(s) Elder half-brother: Jo Yang-pil (조양필; 趙良弼; 1600–?) Sister-in-law: Lady, of the Seongju Yi clan (성주 이씨; 1600–?) Adopted nephew: Jo Jeong-gu (조정구; 趙鼎耉; 1633–?); eldest son of Jo Hyeon-pil (조현필; 1608–?) Husband: Yi Jong, King Injo (; 7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649) Issue Princess Hyomyeong (; 1637–1700) Son-in-law: Kim Se-ryong, Prince Consort Nakseong (; 1636–1651) Yi Jing, Prince Sungseon (; 17 October 1639 – 6 January 1690) Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Yeongpung, of the Pyongsan Shin clan (; 1639–1692) Grandson: Yi Hang, Prince Dongpyeong (; 1660–1701) Grandson: Yi Kang (; 1662–?) Granddaughter: Lady Yi (; 1664–?) Granddaughter: Lady Yi (; 1666–?) Granddaughter: Lady Yi (; 1668–?) Granddaughter: Lady Yi (; 1670–?) Yi Suk, Prince Nakseon (; 9 December 1641 – 26 April 1695) Daughter-in-law: Princess Consort Dongwon, of the Gangneung Kim clan (; 1643–1722) Adopted grandson: Yi Hwan, Prince Imyang (; 1654–1729)

In popular culture Portrayed by Seo Hyun-jin in the 2012 MBC TV series The King's Doctor. Portrayed by Kim Hyun-joo, Lee Chae-mi and Heo Jung-eun in the 2013 JTBC TV series Blooded Palace: The War of Flowers. Portrayed by Kim Min-seo in the 2015 MBC TV series Splendid Politics. Portrayed by Ahn Eun-jin in the 2022 film The Night Owl. Portrayed by So Yoo-jin in the 2023 MBC TV series My Dearest.