Ryu Cheongung (; ''Ryu Cheon-gung'') or known as Senior Ryu () was a rich-nobleman in the

Later Three Kingdoms Period The Later Three Kingdoms period (889-935 AD) of ancient Korea saw a partial revival of the old three kingdoms which had dominated the peninsula from the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD. After the Unified Silla kingdom had ruled Korea alone ...

who became the father of

Queen Sinhye Queen Sinhye of the Jeongju Ryu clan (Sometimes can be Queen Sinhye of the Jeongju Yu clan (신혜왕후 유씨, 神惠王后柳氏).) was the first Goryeo queen consort through her marriage as the first wife of Wang Geon, its founder. As the wife ...

and father in-law of Wang Geon,

Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

's founder. During

Jinseong of Silla Jinseong of Silla (c. 865–897) was the fifty-first ruler of the Korean kingdom, Silla in 887–897.Lee Bae-yong, Women in Korean History, Ewha Womans University Press, 2008, pp. 145-147, . She was also Silla's third and last reigning queen af ...

's reign, Ryu was a nobleman from Paseo region (along with Wang Ryung from

Songak Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

, Bak Ji-yun from Pyeongju,

Hwangbo Je-gong Hwangbo Je-gong () of the Hwangju Hwangbo clan (황주 황보씨) was a nobleman in the Early Kingdom of Goryeo periods. He was the father of Queen Sinjeong and become the fourth father in-law of Taejo of Goryeo also the maternal grandfather of ...

from

Hwangju Hwangju County is a county in North Hwanghae province, North Korea. Geography Hwangju is bordered to the northwest by Sariwŏn, to the northeast by Songrim and Kangnam, to the southwest by Yŏnt'an, to the south by Pongsan, and to the southeast ...

, etc.) which later became "Jeongju Region" (정주, 貞州) and since he was a wealthy man who accumulated wealth through

Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

through the sea, the locals called him as "Senior" (장자, 長者). Although they independently against

Gung Ye Gung Ye ( – 24 July 918, r. July 901 – 24 July 918) was the king of the short-lived state of Taebong (901–918), one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Although he was a member of the Silla royal family, he became a victim of the power st ...

, they finally surrendered to him and Wang's son, Wang Geon, became Gung's general and took over the west coast (include Ganghwa Island. Ryu was said to treated Geon's army generously and made his daughter sleep with him, which this girl was the future

. Ryu actively provided ship technology and knowledge acquired through maritime trade to Wang and

Jeongju Chŏngju (; also Jŏngju) is a ''si'', or city, in southern North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. Prior to 1994, it was designated as a ''kun'' or county. The terrain is mostly level, but mountainous in the north. To the south lies the Chŏ ...

Port became an outpost where Wang became a naval general and built ships and trained naval forces to conquer Geumseong ( Naju). Then, after the establishment of

, Ryu became Three Grand Masters (along with Bak Yeong-gyu and

) and had the most strong influence in the early

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Kim Jin-hae in the 2000–2002 KBS1 TV series ''

Taejo Wang Geon ''Taejo Wang Geon'' (; ) is a 2000 Korean historical period drama. Directed by Kim Jong-sun and starring Choi Soo-jong in the title role of Taejo of Goryeo, King Taejo. The drama aired from April 1, 2000 to February 24, 2002 in a total of 200 e ...

''. *Portrayed by Kim Soo-il in the 2002–2003 KBS TV series '' The Dawn of the Empire''.

References

Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 10th-century Korean people Silla people {{Korea-hist-stub

In popular culture

See also

References