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The Naehun

It was during this period that Insu authored the Naehun (Instructions for Women), establishing herself as Korea’s first female writer. This conduct manual outlined how women should behave according to Confucian ideals, emphasizing chastity, discretion, gentle speech, and etiquette.

Insu advocated for female education, arguing that it reinforced moral integrity and prepared women for their roles as wives and mothers. She criticized the trend of teaching daughters only poetry and music. However, she maintained that women’s roles should remain advisory and supportive.

The Naehun may also have served a political purpose, legitimating her mother-in-law's regency by citing examples of capable Chinese empresses. It reinforced the idea that women could govern wisely. Insu was thus also able to empower herself and present herself as a matriarch.

Queen mother

When Jeonghui’s regency ended in 1477, Insu continued to hold an honored position as the king’s mother. A devoted supporter of Buddhism, she argued against suppressing the religion, fearing it would lead to public unrest. In 1492, she spoke out against excluding commoners from monastic life and taught her five grandsons Buddhist and Confucian texts, which she recited from memory.

However, family tensions escalated when Queen Yun, King Seongjong’s consort, physically attacked him, leaving scars on his face. Insu took decisive action, first sending Queen Yun back to her family, then ordering her execution by poison.

The ascension of Insu’s grandson, Yeonsangun, in 1494 marked a dark chapter in her life. Yeonsangun, a violent and tyrannical ruler, was Queen Yun’s son. Upon discovering the truth about his mother’s death, he directed his fury at Insu. In 1504, Yeonsangun attacked his grandmother, leading to her death on May 11 at the palace. She was buried in a tomb that symbolically outranked her husband’s.

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Further reading

Duncan John, “The Naehun and the politics of Gender”, in: Kim-Renaud Young-Key, Creative Women of Korea The Fifteenth Through the Twentieth Centuries

Kang Jae-un,  The Land of Scholars Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism

Park Si Nae, “Re-reading Queen Sohye's Naehun”