Crown Prince Sado + Crown Prince Yi San

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Yoo Ah-in

NOTE   :

The Throne  is directly based on Crown Prince Sado’s history. The film provides a deeply emotional and dramatic portrayal of his life, focusing on his strained relationship with his father, King Yeongjo.

The movie explores the psychological and political pressures that led to Sado’s downfall, depicting how his father’s harsh expectations, court intrigues, and Sado’s own struggles contributed to his tragic fate—being locked in a wooden rice chest for eight days until his death.

Unlike dramas that take creative liberties, The Throne is a serious historical film that stays relatively faithful to recorded history, offering a heartbreaking look at one of Joseon’s most tragic royal figures.

Crown Prince Sado 

Portrayed by Lee Chang-hoon

Also named :   Lee San, Wind of the Palace

NOTE  :

Yi San is related to Crown Prince Sado’s history, though the drama primarily focuses on his son, King Jeongjo (Yi San).

The drama follows Jeongjo’s life, from his struggles as a young prince dealing with political opposition to his reign as king. A major part of the story is how he deals with the legacy of his father,

Yi San is more of a biographical drama about Jeongjo

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Im Ho

Also named  :   The Great King's Road

NOTE  : 

King of the Wind is related to Crown Prince Sado’s history. The drama focuses on the life of King Jeongjo (Yi San), the son of Crown Prince Sado, and his struggles to become a strong and just ruler despite the political turmoil caused by his father’s tragic death.

Similar to Yi San (2007)  this drama highlights Jeongjo’s efforts to dealing with powerful court factions that opposed him and the challenges he faced as he tried to bring reforms to Joseon.

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Oh Man-seok  

NOTE  :

Warrior Baek Dong Soo is loosely related to Crown Prince Sado’s history, though it takes a more action-oriented and fictionalized approach.

The drama is set during the late Joseon Dynasty and follows Baek Dong-soo, a legendary swordsman who becomes a royal bodyguard. The story involves political conspiracies surrounding Crown Prince Sado, as well as the conflicts between factions loyal to the prince and those who seek to eliminate him.

While the drama incorporates real historical figures, including King Yeongjo and Crown Prince Sado, it focuses more on martial arts, brotherhood, and heroism rather than strictly adhering to historical events. However, Sado’s tragic fate and the court intrigues leading to his downfall serve as an important backdrop to the story.

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Jo Han-jun

NOTE  :

Eight Days, Mystery of Jeongjo’s Assassination is related to Crown Prince Sado’s history.

The drama focuses on King Jeongjo, and the political conspiracies surrounding an alleged assassination attempt on him. Set during an eight-day royal procession to his father’s tomb, the story explores the dangerous power struggles in the Joseon court, particularly between Jeongjo and the Noron faction, who were responsible for Sado’s execution.

While the drama takes some creative liberties, it highlights how Crown Prince Sado’s tragic fate continued to affect Jeongjo’s reign, making it a significant part of the historical narrative.

Crown Prince Sado
Portrayed  by  Kim Dae Myung

NOTE   :

Drama Special Season 6: Crimson Moon  is related to Crown Prince Sado’s history.

Crimson Moon focuses on the intense political and personal struggles within the Joseon Dynasty, particularly highlighting the complex relationship between King Yeongjo and his son, Crown Prince Sado. The drama portrays Sado’s psychological decline, his strained relationship with his father, and the tragic circumstances leading to his death. It explores the emotional and political impact of these events on the royal family, with a focus on the atmosphere of tension and intrigue at the Joseon court.

500 Years of Joseon Dynasty series

❗️

       NEED TO WATCH 

IN CHRONOLOGY ORDER 

This drama marks the beginning of the 500 Years of Joseon Dynasty series, covering the fall of Goryo and the founding of the Joseon Dynasty by Taejo, as well as the subsequent reigns of his sons Jeongjong and Taejong

1983  

A U T O B I O G R A P H Y

The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong , recounted her ill-fated life first as Crown Princess, consort of Prince Sado, then his widow when he was executed, and later the mother of King Jeongjo. 

This collection of memoirs also contained considerable information about the rule of King Yeongjo, father of Prince Sado, and provided the basis of the ninth episode of the 500 Years of Joseon Dynasty. 

This memoirs is a valuable historical document that provide a female perspective on historical events.

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Choi Soo-jong 

1988

NOTE : 

The Two Faces of Lady Hyegyeong  is not a memoir itself but rather a book by historian Margaret Drabble that examines the life and writings of Lady Hyegyeong.

Her actual memoirs, known as the Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong  (Hanjungnok),  were written in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They provide a firsthand account of court life, political intrigue, and personal tragedy, making them one of the most significant historical and literary documents in Korean history.

Drabble’s The Two Faces of Lady Hyegyeong  explores these memoirs, analyzing their historical context and the duality of Lady Hyegyeong’s public and private personas.

✨  Ji Jin Hee plays King Suk Jong  ✨

"  Dong Yi  "  later known as  Choi Suk-bin  

Choi worked in the royal palace as a lowly water maid. King Suk-jong then selected Choi as his concubine. Choi would then give to birth Yeong-jo , the second son of King Suk-jong and the future king of Joseon.

500 Years of Joseon: Queen Inhyeon

The eighth installment of 500 Years of Joseon Dynasty covers the reign of King Suk Jong in the late 17th-early 18th Centuries. 

More than any of Suk Jong's own accomplishments, however, his reign was marked by political instability between court factions and was particularly well-known for the rivalry between the power-hungry Jang Hee Bin and the kind and virtuous Queen In Hyeon.

1988

NOTE  :    

• Queen Inhyeon  was the second queen consort of King Sukjong. She was deposed due to political conflicts but later reinstated. 

• Choi Suk-bin  was a royal concubine of King Sukjong and the mother of King Yeongjo. She held the title “Suk-bin”, which was a rank given to concubines.
  
  Their lives were connected because Choi Suk-bin gained favor after Queen Inhyeon was deposed, and she later supported her reinstatement. Queen Inhyeon’s main political rival was Jang Hee Bin , another royal concubine of King Sukjong.

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Jeong Bo-seok

1988

Crown Prince Sado
Portrayed by  Yoo In Chon

Adapted from the autobiography

 "Memoirs Written in Silence" by Lady Hyegyeong

1979

Ꮯσოթℓᥱɬᥱ  ✓

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Do Sang-woo

Crown Prince  Yi San  /  King Jeong Jo

Portrayed  by  Lee Jun Ho

NOTE  :

The Red Sleeve  is indirectly related to Crown Prince Sado’s history. The drama focuses on the love story between King Jeongjo  (Crown Prince Sado’s son) and Lady Seong Deok-im, a royal concubine who later became Royal Noble Consort Ui.

While the drama does not center on Crown Prince Sado himself, his tragic death and its impact on his son, Jeongjo, are significant background elements. King Jeongjo struggled throughout his reign dealing with political opposition from court factions that had supported Sado’s execution. The drama explores these themes, including the burdens Jeongjo carried due to his father’s fate.

Ꮯσოթℓᥱɬᥱ  ✓

Crown Prince Sado

Portrayed by Lee Je-hoon

NOTE  :

Secret Door is directly related to Crown Prince Sado’s history. The drama focuses on the complex and tragic relationship between Crown Prince Sado and his father, King Yeongjo.

The series portrays the political conflicts and ideological clashes between the two—Yeongjo, who values strict Confucian rule, and Sado, who desires reform . As tensions escalate, Sado finds himself caught between his father’s authoritarian rule and court factions conspiring against him, ultimately leading to his infamous execution, where he was ordered to be locked inside a rice chest and left to die.

❗While the drama takes some creative libertie, it remains one of the most detailed portrayals of Sado’s life and his struggle within the Joseon court.

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Crown Prince Yi San erased his father, Crown Prince Sado's, history.