Hwang Jini

Hwang Jini was one of the best-known kisaeng of Korea's Joseon period, who lived during the reign of King Jungjong and was also known by her kisaeng name Myŏngwŏl. Born around 1506, the illegitimate daughter of Hwang Chinsa, a politician's son from a noble family of Kaesong, and of a woman who was either a kisaeng or of cheonmin status, she became a kisaeng, according to legend, after losing a lover at the age of 15. That life let her learn music, dance, art, literature and poetry, subjects not normally taught to young women. Only a handful of her sijo verses and geomungo pieces survive, many about Kaesong and lost love, and she has become an almost mythic figure in modern Korea.