Red Sleeves TV Series Review

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Red Sleeves – TV Series Review


Red Sleeves is a South Korean TV series that is based on actual historical events. Red Sleeves brings alive the story about the most famous king from Joseon era, King Jeongjo and his beloved concubine, Sung Deok-im.

Since very young, the crown prince Yi San (later on King Jeongjo), had to prove himself to everyone that he was the right person to become the next king. He tried hard to convince everyone that he wouldn’t be like his own father, who was labelled as a traitor because of chronic conflicts between different political factions that put his father to death, an unjust death, locked inside a rice chest. He constantly strives to become a benevolent King, but his father's death has left an emotional trauma in his heart.

Sung Deok-im became a court lady when she was just 10 years old. Her first encounter with the crown prince Yi San was when they went to pay a visit to the late royal concubine Yeo Beom, Yi San’s grandmother. Deok-im comforted Yi San who lost his dearly grandmother. Since then, without Yi San realised, Deok-im always helped him in many ways.

It was Deok-im who hid the forbidden book that Yi san read at the back of his grandfather, the King at the time. It was Deok-im who convinced the King that Yi san wasn’t trying to betray him. But when Yi san fell in love with Deok-im, it was also Deok-im who rejected the crown prince's heart. It wasn’t easy for the crown prince himself to keep his love for Deok-im, torn between his duty to his nation and the woman that he loved. Crown Prince Yi san proposed to Deok-im for the first time when he was just 15 years old and Deok-im was 14 years old. Deok-im rejected him. Fifteen years later, Yi san, had already become the king, proposed Deok-im again and she rejected him once more.

It was when Deok-im was penned in by the royal concubine that she was in a relationship with a man (a court lady was forbidden to have any relationship with any man, as a court lady belong to the king), King Jeongjo himself saved her. In return, King Jeongjo asked Deok-im to become his concubine. Deok-im agreed this time.

Even though Deok-im loves her king, being trapped inside the palace and becoming one of the King’s concubines from many other women on the king’s side, made Deok-im’s life miserable. Losing her own son also made her life even more miserable. In the end, her sadness took her own life. King Jeongjo wrote her an epitaph, where he described his grief and declared his love for her. It was said that Lady Sung Deok-im was the only woman he loved among his wives. King Jeongjo didn’t write just one, but several texts during and after the three years of the mourning period to express his heartfelt love for and grief about the passing of his beloved woman.

There are many movies and TV series about King Jeongjo, but Red Sleeve is different since the story narrated Deok-im mind, a humble court lady that shakes her king’s heart, a young lady that believes everything has its reason and no matter small she always wanted to do her own choice. This 2021 South Korean drama received the highest viewing rating for the year.

Crown Prince Yi san and King Jeongjo was played by Lee Jun-ho, while Sung Deok-im was portrayed perfectly by Lee Se-young. You can see Lee Jun-ho acting in King the Land and Just between Lover . Lee Se-young acting can also be seen in What Comes after Love and The Story of Park's Marriage Contract .

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