Queen of Jungjong and mother of Myeongjong; as regent she ruled with her brother Yun Won-hyeong and revived Buddhism through the monk Bou
In the Eulsa Purge of 1545 the Lesser Yun faction of her brother Yun Won-hyeong drove out the Greater Yun of Yun Im, King Injong's maternal uncle. She favoured the monk Bou and revived the Seon and Gyo orders and the monks' examination. After her death Yun Won-hyeong was ousted and Bou was exiled to Jeju, where he died.
When the boy king Myeongjong came to the throne, his maternal uncle Yun Won-hyeong (the “Lesser Yun”) destroyed Yun Im (the “Greater Yun”) and the scholars around him — the fourth literati purge.
Dramatized works (films, dramas, novels) may differ from the historical record.
Brother of Queen Munjeong and head of the “Lesser Yun” faction, who purged the rival “Greater Yun” in 1545
Thirteenth king of Joseon, enthroned at twelve under the regency of his mother Queen Munjeong, while her brother Yun Won-hyeong held power
Neo-Confucian scholar who pioneered the primacy of li and influenced Yi Hwang; died in exile at Ganggye after the purge of 1547
From the literati purges to in-law government — how Sarim factions moved from coexistence and checks to purges and one-faction rule, then through Tangpyeong to the dominance of a few clans