Jeongjong (; 923 – 13 April 949), personal name Wang Yo, was the third king of the

Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

of Korea. He was the third son of King Taejo, the dynastic founder.

Reign

Jeongjong rose to the throne after his half-brother King Hyejong died, and set himself to reducing the power of various royal in-laws, including Wang Gyu and Pak Sul-hui. However, lacking the support of the

Gaegyeong 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 ...

elites, he was unable to substantially strengthen the throne. In 946, he spent 70,000 sacks of grain from the royal storehouses to support

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

in the country. In 947, he had the fortress of

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

constructed as the country's Western Capital. He sought to move the capital from Gaegyeong to Pyongyang as his father had desired, as Jeongjong believed that in order to restore Goguryeo's old territories, the capital should be moved further north. However, Jeongjong was not successful in his attempts due to opposition from the nobility based in

. Jeongjong became paranoid however that people inside the palace were conspiring to kill him and he then started to go insane. After four years of his reign, he died just after he signed a royal decree to make his brother, the fourth prince Wang So (known as Gwangjong), king instead of his son.

Family

*Father:

Taejo of Goryeo Taejo (; 31 January 877 – 4 July 943), personal name Wang Kŏn (), also known as Taejo Wang Kŏn (), was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. He ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three Kingdoms in 936. Backgroun ...

** Grandfather: Wang Ryung, King Wimu the Great ** Grandmother: Queen Wisuk of the Han clan *Mother: Queen Sinmyeong of the Chungju Yu clan **Grandfather: Yu Kŭngdal *Consorts and their Respective Issue(s): # Queen Mungong of the Suncheon Pak clan – No issue. # Queen Munseong of the Suncheon Pak clan ## Prince Gyeongchunwon, ''1st son'' ##''1st daughter'' # Lady Cheongjunamwon of the Cheongju Kim clan – No issue.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Kim Young-chan in the 2000–2002

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

TV series '' Taejo Wang Geon'' *Portrayed by Choi Jae-sung in the 2002–2003 KBS TV series ''

The Dawn of the Empire ''The Dawn of the Empire'' () is a South Korean historical television series which aired on KBS1 from March 2, 2002 to January 26, 2003 for 94 episodes every weekend at 21:45 ( KST). It's KBS' second histocal series set in Goryeo after ''Taejo W ...

''. * Portrayed by

Ryu Seung-soo Ryu Seung-soo (born August 12, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Ryu made his acting debut in 1997 with a minor role in Park Chan-wook's film ''Trio'', and has been active as a supporting actor on film and television since. Among his notable films ...

in the 2015 MBC TV series ''

Shine or Go Crazy ''Shine or Go Crazy'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series based on the novel of the same name by Hyun Go-woon about the romance between a Goryeo prince and a Balhae princess. Starring Jang Hyuk, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Hanee and Lim Ju-hwan, ...

''. * Portrayed by

Hong Jong-hyun Hong Jong-hyun (born February 2, 1990) is a South Korean actor and model. Career Hong began his entertainment career in 2007 as a professional model. He made his acting debut in 2008, and has appeared in the romantic comedy ''Oh! My Lady'' (201 ...

in the 2016 SBS TV series '' Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.'' * Portrayed by

Lee Dong-wook Lee Dong-wook (; born 6 November 1981) is a South Korean actor and presenter. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas '' My Girl'' (2005), '' Scent of a Woman'' (2011), '' The Fugitive of Joseon'' (2013), ''Hotel King'' ...

in the 2016 tvN TV series '' Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeongjong, 3rd Monarch Of Goryeo Goryeo Buddhists 923 births 949 deaths 10th-century Korean monarchs Leaders who took power by coup Korean Buddhist monarchs People from Kaesong

Reign

Family

In popular culture

See also

References