Dongseong of Baekje (?–501, r. 479–501by the translators of Il-yeon's: ''Samguk Yusa: Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea'', translated by Tae-Hung Ha and Grafton K. Mintz. Book Two, page 124. Silk Pagoda (2006). ) was the 24th king of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

, one of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...

Background

He was the son of

Buyeo Gonji Buyeo Gonji (? – July, 477) was a member of the royal family of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a son of the 21st king, Gaero of Baekje and younger brother of the 22nd king, Munju of Baekje. Life According to the ''Samguk Sa ...

, the younger brother of the 22nd king Munju who returned to Baekje from

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...

Japan in 477 after hearing of the fall of the Baekje capital. Gonji died in that year, and like Munju may have been murdered by

Hae Gu Hae Gu (? – 478) was a noble of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a member of the Hae clan (解氏), one of the "Great Eight Families" (''Daeseongpaljok'', 大姓八族). He held the position of Minister of Defense (''Byeong'gw ...

. Dongseong appears to have been promoted to the throne by the Jin clan that prevailed over Hae Gu's rebellion. After Samgeun died without children, the throne passed to Dongseong.

Reign

He worked to strengthen the court's power after the move of the capital from the present-day

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

area to

Ungjin Ungjin, also known as Gomanaru (Hangul: 고마나루, literally "bear port") is a former city on the Korean Peninsula. It was located in modern-day Gongju, South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538 ...

. He built several fortresses and castles to build out the new capital. He incorporated the local Sa, Yeon, and Baek clans into the court to counter the entrenched aristocracy from the former capital. Dongseong sent a tribute mission to the Southern Qi in 484, reopening Baekje’s ties with southern China after a long hiatus. He established an alliance with

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...

through his marriage of a Silla noblewoman in 493, and the two countries united in attacking Goguryeo in 495. In 498, the Baekje army subjugated

Tamna Tamna, or Tamna-guk, was a state based on Jeju Island from ancient times until it was absorbed by the Korean Joseon dynasty in 1404, following a long period of being a tributary state or autonomous administrative region of various Korean king ...

, the kingdom on Jeju island which had formally accepted Baekje rule twenty-two years before, because it failed to send tributes. The Book of Qi states that Dongseong sent armies to

Liaodong The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...

and Liaoxi (요서 遼西) in China to defeat

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

forces.

Death

Beginning in 499, the country was stricken by famine, but according to the ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

'' the king was unresponsive. He continued to live an indulgent lifestyle while brigandage spread. By the end of Dongseong's rule, the local clans of the new capital had eclipsed the traditionally powerful Hae and Jin clans, and even pressured the throne. Dongseong sought to contain them by exiling

Baek Ga Baek (), also often spelled Paek, Baik, Paik is a Korean family name. In the year 2000, there were 351,275 people with this surname in South Korea. The word means the color white. Baek (白) "白" has a Cantonese origin from the Yuan dynasty an ...

to an outlying castle. This caused great resentment, and Baek Ga's forces assassinated Dongseong while he was hunting.

Family

* Father:

(son of the 21st King,

Gaero of Baekje Gaero of Baekje (?–475, 455–475) was the 21st king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of the 20th king Biyu. He died in battle as Baekje's capital in the present-day Seoul region fell to the northe ...

) * Mother: unknown *** Queen: unknown ** Son: Buyeo Sama/Buyeo Yung (扶餘斯摩/扶餘隆, 462–523) – 25th King of Baekje, Muryeong of Baekje *** Concubine: unknown – from the Jin clan *** Concubine: unknown – from Lee clan of

(伊飡比智女를), married 493 **** Daughter: Princess Bogwa (보과공주, 宝果公主) – consort of the 23rd King of

, Beopheung of Silla.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Jung Chan Jung Chan (born February 23, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film * ''The Young Man'' (1994) * ''Extras'' (1998) * '' Over the Rainbow'' (2002) * ''Road Movie'' (2002) * '' Invisible Light'' (2003) * ''Spring Breeze'' (2003) * ' ...

in the 2013 MBC TV series ''

The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang ''The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang'' () is a Korean-language historical drama depicting the life of Soo Baek-hyang, the daughter of King Muryeong of Baekje. It was aired on MBC TV from September 30, 2013, to March 14, 2014, on Monday and Fri ...

''.

References

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Samguk Sagi Scroll 23
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{{s-end 501 deaths Baekje rulers Korean people of Japanese descent 5th-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown 5th-century Korean people 6th-century Korean people