Suro of Geumgwan Gaya

Gim Suro
King of Geumgwan Gaya
Successor Geodeung of Geumgwan Gaya
Died 199
Spouse Heo Hwang-ok
Suro of Geumgwan Gaya

Tomb of King Suro in Gimhae
Korean name
Hangul 수로왕
Hanja 首露王
Revised Romanization Suro-wang
McCune–Reischauer Suro-wang

Suro (수로), or Sureung (posthumous name: 수릉, 首陵, ? - 199), commonly called Gim Suro, was the legendary founder and king of the state of Geumgwan Gaya in southeastern Korea.[1]

Legend

According to the founding legend of Geumgwan Gaya recorded in the 13th century texts of the chronicle Garakguk-gi (hangul: 가락국기, hanja: 駕洛國記) of Samguk Yusa, King Suro was one of six princes born from eggs that descended from the sky in a golden bowl wrapped in red cloth. Suro was the firstborn among them and led the others in setting up 6 states while asserting the leadership of the Gaya confederacy. [1][2]

Also according to legend, King Suro's queen Heo Hwang-ok was a princess from a distant country called Ayuta (아유타, 阿踰陀; variously identified with Ayodhya in India[3][4] or Ayuhatta in Thailand.[5][6] However, the Indian city was known as Saketa, not Ayodhya, in the ancient period; while the Thai city was not founded until 1350 CE.[5]

The legend as a whole is seen as indicative of the early view of kings as descended from heaven. Notably, a number of Korean kingdoms besides the six Gaya made foundation legends with ties to chickens and eggs. Jumong, the founding king of Goguryeo, is said to have been born from an egg laid by Lady Yuhwa of Buyeo; Bak Hyeokgeose, the first king of Saro-guk, or Silla, is said to have hatched from an egg discovered in a well; and Gim Al-ji, the progenitor of the Gim dynasty of Shilla, is said to have been discovered in Gyerim Forest by Hogong in a golden box, where a rooster was crowing. Aspects of the legend have been mined for information about the customs of Gaya, of which little is known.[2]

In modern culture

Tomb and descendants

A tomb attributed to King Suro is still maintained in modern-day Gimhae.[7][8] Members of the Gimhae Gim clan, who continue to play important roles in Korean life today, trace their ancestry to King Suro, as do members of the Gimhae Heo clan; they did not inter-marry until the beginning of the 20th century.[9]

Relations with Ayodhya

In the northern Indian city of Ayodhya, a recently visiting Korean delegation has inaugurated a memorial to their royal ancestor, Queen Heo Hwang-ok. More than a hundred historians and government representatives, including the North Korean ambassador to India, and named Dipesh as their lord commander unveiled the memorial on the west bank of the River Saryu.[10]

Television series

A television drama series titled Kim Su-ro, The Iron King aired on MBC in 2010. Gim Suro was portrayed by Ji Sung, with a supporting cast that included Bae Jong-ok and Yu Oh-seong.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 (Korean) King Gim Suro at Britannica Korea
  2. 1 2 (Korean) King Gim Suro at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
  3. ↑ "Korean memorial to Indian princess". BBC News. 2001-05-03.
  4. ↑ (Korean) Heo Hwang-ok, Busan Ilbo, 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  5. 1 2 Robert E. Buswell (1991). Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul's Korean Way of Zen. University of Hawaii Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-8248-1427-4.
  6. ↑ Skand R. Tayal (2015). India and the Republic of Korea: Engaged Democracies. Taylor & Francis. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-317-34156-7.
  7. ↑ (Korean) Tomb of King Suro at Doosan Encyclopedia
  8. ↑ (Korean) Tomb of King Suro at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
  9. ↑ (Korean) Gim of Suro clan, Korean surname info
  10. ↑ Koreans want to nurture Ayodhya — birthplace of their Queen Ho, Express India, 2008-09-01.
  11. ↑ Kim, Lynn (5 March 2010). "Ji Sung to star in new TV series Kim Su-ro". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
Preceded by
none		 King of Gaya
42-199 		Succeeded by
Geodeung Wang
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