By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Crown Prince Sado (1735-1762) was a tragic royal heir who was locked in a large rice chest and left to die by his own father, King Yeongjo.
This widely known story is also fraught with wide speculation. Some say he was the victim of a conspiracy by his political rivals. Others say he was mentally ill and very erratic, and wantonly killed people.
But the novel ``Chungsin'' (Loyal Subjects) written by Marc Hampsink sheds new light on his death. Based on the presumption that the prince suffered from syphilis which drove him into dementia, the book weaves a mysterious story based on the historical fact that three high-state councilors who were aides to the prince killed themselves.
Hampsink overturns the conventional wisdom that the prince was sacrificed in a power struggle. He instead raises the issue that Sado contracted syphilis after having improper relations with court ladies and even incest with his sister Princess Hawan. This is what made King Yeongjo order him ― out of anger ― to be sealed into the rice chest.
Surprisingly the author, who penned the novel rich in details and imagination based on historical facts, is an adoptee who cannot speak Korean. Hampsink was born in Busan and adopted by a Belgian couple at the age of seven, and now works for a U.K. insurance company. He turned his eyes to the Joseon Kingdom of 250 years ago while working on a client's request. The client asked him to investigate the value of ``Jinamjib,'' a collection of writings by Lee Cheon-bo, the chief state councilor during the reign of King Yeongjo.