Sin Sung-gyeom (; d. 927) was a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n general during the turbulent

Later Three Kingdoms 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 ...

period in the early 10th century. Born in Gwanghaeju (present-day

Chuncheon Chuncheon (; ; formerly romanized as Chunchŏn; literally ''spring river'') is the capital of Gangwon Province in South Korea. The city lies in the north of the county, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some ...

), he became a general in the kingdom of

Taebong Taebong (; ) was a state established by Gung Ye () on the Korean Peninsula in 901 during the Later Three Kingdoms. Name The state's initial name was Goryeo, after the official name of Goguryeo, a previous state in Manchuria and the northern K ...

. He was instrumental in helping

Wang Geon Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three ...

, who later founded the state of

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 ...

to achieve power. He is widely viewed as the founder of the

Pyeongsan Sin clan The Pyeongsan Sin clan or Pyeongsan Shin clan () is one of the great aristocratic houses which originated from Korea. The clan was key in the foundation of the Goryeo dynasty and gained its power during this time. However, it became less promin ...

, which includes the famous actress

Shin Se-kyung Shin Se-kyung (; born July 29, 1990) is a South Korean actress, singer and model. She started as a child actress and had her breakthrough in 2009 with the sitcom ''High Kick Through the Roof''. Since then she starred in the films ''Hindsight'' ...

. Shin is remembered today for giving his life for Wang Geon in the aftermath of a rout of their forces by

Hubaekje Hubaekje or Later Baekje (, ) was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Taebong and Silla. Later Baekje was a Korean dynastic kingdom founded by the disaffected Silla general Gyeon Hwon in 900, whom led the local gentry and popul ...

near present-day

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

. According to the legend, the two exchanged armor so that the king would be able to escape the battlefield. While Wang Geon escaped the battlefield, Shin and the remaining army fought bravely against the Hubaekje army. But eventually his army was routed and in the woods Shin was shot with arrows and was killed by the enemy. He was beheaded and his head was sent to

Gyeon Hwon Gyeon Hwon (; 867 – 27 September 936, r. 892 – March 934) was the king and founder of Later Baekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, and reigned from 892 to 935. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" (진훤). He was also the prog ...

, King of Hubaekje.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Kim Hyung-il in the 2000–2002 KBS 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 ...

''.

References

10th-century Korean people Korean generals 927 deaths Year of birth unknown Sin clan of Pyongsan {{SouthKorea-mil-bio-stub

In popular culture

See also

References