Gimhae Kim clan
| Gimhae Kim clan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Korea |
| Current region | Gimhae |
| Founder | Suro |
| Connected members | Kim Boo-kyum Kim Moo-sung Kim Dae-jung Kim Jong-pil Kim Hyong-uk Kim Won-bong Andrew Kim Taegon Kim Hong-do Kim Ung-seo Kim Yu-sin Kim Mu-ryeok Kim Min-Seok Kim Ki-bum (Key) Kim Jong-woon (Yesung) Kim Ji-woo (Chuu)[1] |
The Gimhae Kim clan (Korean: 김해 김씨; Hanja: 金海 金氏) is one of the Korean clans. This clan traces their origin to Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and his Queen, Heo Hwang-ok, who are mentioned in the 13th-century Korean chronicle Samguk Yusa.[2][3] King Suro was the founder of Gaya confederacy, and his descendant, Kim Yu-sin, is renowned for unifying the Silla polity.[2][4]
More than six million present day Koreans, especially from Gimhae Kim, Heo and Lee (Yi) clans, trace their lineage to the legendary King and Queen as the direct descendants of their 12 children.[5][6][7] These 3 clans associate their Bon-gwan (geo-biological lineage roots) to Gimhae, in the South Gyeongsang Province of South Korea,[4] and these clans place restrictions on marriage with each other due to the shared ancestors. Today, the Gimhae Kim clan is the largest clan group among them.[4] The Gimhae Kim and Gimhae Heo clans, descend from the two sons of King Suro who used their mother's Queen Heo Hwang-ok's surname, instead of their father's.
According to Samguk Yusa, Heo Hwang-ok became the wife of King Suro at the age of 16, after having arrived by boat in the Gaya Confederacy, in 48 AD, from a distant kingdom called "Ayuta",[2][8][6][9][7] making her the first Queen of Geumgwan Gaya. Her native kingdom is believed to be located in India by some; there is, however, no mention of her in any pre-modern Indian sources.[7] There are tombs in Gimhae, that are believed by some to be of King Suro and Queen Heo,[10] and a memorial of Queen Heo Hwang-ok, in the Hindu holy city of Ayodhya.[2][11][12]
Origin[]
The Gimhae Kim clan's founder was King Suro, whose wife was Queen Heo Hwang-ok. She set sail from the Kingdon of Ayuta, later arriving in Gaya.[13] Some sources have identified Ayodhya in North India as the native place of Queen Heo,[5] while other sources identify her being of tamil origin, from South India.[13]
In 2004, scientific proof demonstrated that Heo Hwang-ok was a person of Indian origin. Two professors from the Faculty of Medicine at Seoul University and the Faculty of Medicine at Hallym University, reported their finding to The Genetics Society of Korea.[13] Having analyzed remains in an old burial mound containing what they assumed are remains of Heo Hwang-ok, they concluded that her ancestors were not from Northern Mongolia (origination of Koreans), but from India. These findings were based on analyses of sampled Mitochondrial DNA.[13]
She came to the Gaya Confederacy in the year 48 AD. Some suggest that Queen Heo came from Tamil Nadu (a princess from the Pandya or Satavahana dynasties), as many Koreans words sound similar to the words used in the region. However, academics are still split over her true origin.
Heo Hwang-ok bore 12 children. Two of them were given her surname, and they were the origin of the Gimhae Heo clan. According to the Samguk Sagi, Kim Yu-sin was the 12th grandchild of Suro.
Queen Heo's association with Ayodhya is based on the book "Heo Hwang-ok Route: From India to Gaya of Korea" by a Senior Archeologist and Emeritus Professor at Hanyang University, Kim Byung-mo,[5] which is considered speculative by some.[7][2] The Memorial of Heo Hwang-ok, in Ayodhya,[14] is visited by a large number of Koreans, especially around jesa in April, to pay tribute to the Queen, as she is considered an ancestor to a large number of Koreans.
Gallery[]
A commemorative Rs. 25.00 postage stamp on Princess Suriratna (Queen Heo Hwang-ok ) was issued by India in 2019.
A commemorative Rs. 5.00 postage stamp on Queen Heo Hwang-ok (Princess Suriratna) was issued by India in 2019.
Tomb of King Suro in Gimhae.
Tomb of Heo Hwang-ok (Queen of King Suro) in Gimhae.
