Chunghye of Goryeo

28th King of Goryeo (r. 1330–32; 1339–43)

King Chunghye of Goryeo (22 February 1315 – 30 January 1344, r. 1330–1332, 1340–1344), personal name Wang Chŏng (hangul=왕정), was the 28th king of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea.

He was remembered in the Goryeosa for his licentious lifestyle, particularly his habit of abducting, raping, and killing women. King Chunghye was the son of King Chungsuk of Goryeo and Queen Gongwon, a Hong. He is sometimes known by his Mongolian name, Putashiri, which is rendered in hanja as Butapsilri (보탑실리, 寶塔實里). King Chunghye travelled to the Yuan Dynasty in 1328. In 1330, then king King Chungsuk petitioned to abdicate the throne, and the emperor sent King Chunghye back to Goryeo to assume the throne. But in the following year, King Chungsuk returned to the throne and King Chunghye returned to China. In 1339, King Chungsuk died. One faction supported the noble Wang Go's claim to the throne, but their attempted coup failed and King Chunghye's reign was restored. King Chunghye's queen was Princess Deoknyeong, who gave birth to King Chungmok. After his father's death, Chunghye raped one of his father's concubines, Princess Gyeonghwa, who attempted to flee Goryeo. Chunghye imprisoned her in the palace. The Yuan emissary eventually visited the palace to visit Princess Gyeonghwa, who informed him of what had transpired. Then, the Yuan emissary arrested Chunghye and dragged Chunghye to Beijing. Initially, Goryeo officials held debates on whether or not to rescue Chunghye, but many Goryeo officials deliberately delayed on their decision making due to how widely hated he was by the Goryeo court. Chunghye was dethroned, forced to remain in the court of the Yuan Dynasty, and his son ascended the throne of Goryeo.

Portrayed by Oh Hyeon cheol in the 2012 SBS TV series Faith. Portrayed by Joo Jin mo and Ahn Do gyu in the 2013–2014 MBC TV series Empress Ki. Portrayed by Lee Deok hee in the 2014 KBS1 TV series Jeong Do jeon.