Yu Gam-dong

Yu Kamdong (; 1430 – ? or after 1428), was a Korean kisaeng, dancer, writer, artist, and poet of the Joseon period, during the 15th century. Her kisaeng name was Kamdong.

Biography She was from noble families of the Korean Joseon Dynasty; her father was Yu Gwi-su, Mayor of Hanseong.

In her early years she was arranged to marry Ch'oe Chunggi, a county governor and head of a myeon.

She was raped by Kim Yŏdal and divorced, becoming a kisaeng. As a kisaeng she was active as a dancer and poet. She wrote poetry and painted pictures, but most of her work has been destroyed or not been preserved.

As a divorced woman, she became known for her love life, having numerous male lovers, something extremely controversial in Korean society at that time.

There was at this time an increasing severity in the persecution of women who committed adultery, and particularly noblewomen such as Yu Kamdong, Kŭmŭmdong and Tongja, both noblewomen who committed adultery with male relatives and where punished, and above all the noblewoman Ŏudong, who was executed in 1480 after a famous scandal in which she had committed adultery with multiple men including royal relatives, court officials and slaves, and these cases eventually resulted in the death penalty formally introduced for female adultery by King Jungjong in 1513.

Family Father - Yu Kwisu (; 1410 – ?) Mother - name unknown; (1416 – ?) Husband - Ch'oe Chunggi