Crown Prince Sado
On May 13, 1762, that courtyard in front of Munjeongjeon witnessed the most tragic incident of the century. It had been reported to King Yeongjo that Crown Prince Sado was mentally ill and behaving erratically. Furious with the Prince, his father ordered him to be sealed alive in a large rice chest, where he died eight days later at the age of 28. King Yeongjo later became remorseful and gave his son the posthumous title 'Sado' ("thinking in sorrow"). It is often believed that Crown Prince Sado was a victim of a conspiracy by his political adversaries, but this is refuted in the "Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong, which was written by Prince Sado's wife Lady Hyegyeong.