Suro (수로) or Sureung (posthumous name: 수릉, 首陵, 42?–199), commonly called Gim Suro, was the legendary founder and Hero King of Geumgwan Gaya (43–532), in southeastern Korea.King Gim Suro
at Britannica Korea

Family

*Wife: Heo Hwang-ok (허황옥, 許黃玉) / Suriratna **1st son: King Geodeung (거등왕, 居登王) **2nd son: Prince Geochil of the Heo clan (거칠군 허씨, 居漆君許氏) **3rd son: Prince Seongyeong of the Heo clan (선견왕자 허씨, 仙見王子許氏) **seven other sons (all becomes buddhist: Haejin (혜진, 慧眞); Gakcho (각초, 覺初); Jigam (지감, 智鑑); Deungyeon (등연, 等演); Dumu (두무, 杜武); Jeonghong (정홍, 淨洪); Gyejang (계장, 戒莊)) **1st daughter: Princess Yeongan (영안공주, 永安公主) – married Bae Yeolmun (배열문, 裴烈文). **2nd daughter: Lady Jijinnaerye of the Gim clan (지진내례부인 김씨, 只珍內禮夫人金氏) – married Seok Guchu (석구추, 昔仇鄒).

Legend

According to the founding legend of Geumgwan Gaya, which was recorded in the 13th century texts of the chronicle '' Garakguk-gi'' (Hangul: 가락국기, Hanja: 駕洛國記) and was cited in ''

Samguk Yusa ''Samguk yusa'' () or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, duri ...

'', when the people who were commanded by heaven performed ancestral rites, danced and sang, a gold bowl wrapped in red cloth came down from heaven. There were six eggs in them, and 12 days later six princes were born from the eggs. Suro was the firstborn among them and led the others in setting up six states while asserting the leadership of the Gaya confederacy.King Gim Suro
at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture Also according to legend, King Suro's wife, Heo Hwang-ok or Suriratna was a princess from a distant country called Ayuta 아유타, 阿踰, also implied to be in India. 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 Gaya, made foundation legends with ties to chickens and eggs.

Jumong Chumo (Hangul: 추모, Hanja: 鄒牟), posthumously Chumo the Holy (Hangul: 추모성왕, Hanja: 鄒牟聖王), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. ''Chumo ...

, the founding King of Goguryeo, is said to have been born from an egg laid by Lady Yuhwa; Park Hyeokgeose, the first King of Silla (or Saro-guk) is said to have hatched from an egg discovered in a well; and Gim Al-ji, the progenitor of the Gim dynasty of Silla, 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.

Incorporation of tomb into the Silla ancestor worship

At the time of

King Munmu Munmu of Silla (626–681; reigned 661–681) was the 30th king of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He is usually considered to have been the first ruler of the Unified Silla period. Munmu was the son of King Muyeol and Munmyeong, who was the youn ...

, the

spirit tablet A spirit tablet, memorial tablet, or ancestral tablet, is a placard used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. The name of the deity or past ancestor is usually inscribed onto the tablet. With origins in tr ...

of Suro was temporarily respected along with fellow Silla Kings, as Munmu was his 15th grandson. According to Samguk Yusa, Munmu ordered the Jesa (revering ritual in confucian traditions) of King Suro.

In modern culture

Tomb and descendants

A tomb attributed to King Suro is still maintained in modern-day

Gimhae Gimhae () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea. The Gimhae Kims claim descent from the ancient royal house of Geumgwan Gaya, which was based in Gim ...

. Members of the Gimhae Gim clan, who continue to play important roles in Korean life today, trace their ancestry to King Suro, as do the members of the

Incheon Yi clan The Incheon Yi clan (Hangul: 인천 이씨, Hanja: 仁川李氏) is a Korean clan. Historically known as the Gyeongwon Lee clan or Inju Lee clan, it was one of the most powerful clans in the early Goryeo period due their status as in-laws of the ...

and Gimhae Heo clan; they did not inter-marry until the beginning of the 20th century. A Memorial Park for Gim Suro and his wife Heo Hwang-ok is being built in Ayodhya, India jointly by

South Korean Government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the South Korea, Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of sta ...

and Indian Government to strengthen relationship between both countries on the grounds of history and cultural heritage. Ayodhya and Gimhae became sister cities in 2001.

Television series

* Portrayed by Ji Sung and Park Gun-tae in the 2010 MBC TV series ''

Kim Su-ro, The Iron King ''Kim Su-ro, The Iron King'' () is a 2010 South Korean television series on the life of Suro of Geumgwan Gaya, starring Ji Sung, Bae Jong-ok, Yu Oh-seong, Seo Ji-hye, Go Joo-won, Kang Byul and Lee Pil-mo. It aired on MBC from May 29 to September ...

''.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Tomb of King Suro
Life in Korea
Gaya Culture FestivalGim Suro
TV drama from MBC {{Geumgwan Gaya Kings Gaya rulers Gimhae Kim clan 2nd-century monarchs in Asia 1st-century monarchs in Asia 199 deaths