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Minjung of Goguryeo
Minjung of Goguryeo
King of Goguryeo
Reign	AD 44–48
Predecessor	King Daemusin
Successor	King Mobon
Born	Hae Saekju / Hae Eupju; c.AD 5-18
Died	48 AD
Burial	Minjungwon (민중원, 閔中原)
House	House of Hae
Father	Go Yuri
Korean name
Hangul	민중왕
Hanja	閔中王
Revised Romanization	Minjung-wang
McCune–Reischauer	Minjung-wang
Birth name
Hangul	해색주
Hanja	解色朱
Revised Romanization	Hae Saek-ju
McCune–Reischauer	Hae Saekchu

King Minjung (?–48, r. 44–48^[1]) was the fourth ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to The History of the Three Kingdoms, he was the younger brother of the country’s third ruler, King Daemusin, and the fifth son of the second ruler, King Yuri.^[2]

Background

According to the Samguk Sagi, a 12th-century Korean history of the Three Kingdoms, Minjung was the fifth and youngest son of Yuri (Goguryeo's second King), as well as the youngest brother of his predecessor Daemusin. His original name was Hae Saek-ju or Hae Eup-ju, and some scholars believe the king’s surname was Hae.^[2] The Samguk Sagi states that at the time of Daemusin's death the crown prince was his eldest son Mobon (then known as Hae U), but Mobon was still too young to rule. Thus, Minjung (then known as Haesaekjoo) ascended to the throne with national support.^[2] However, an alternative account exists in the Samguk Yusa, stating that Minjung was the son of Daemusin and the younger brother of Mobon.

Reign

During Minjung's five years of reign, he avoided military conflict and maintained peace throughout most of the kingdom. A massive pardon of prisoners occurred in his first year of reign.^[a] Several natural disasters marked his reign, including a flood during his second year of reign that occurred in the eastern provinces causing several citizens to lose their homes and starve. Seeing this, Minjung opened up the food storage and distributed food to the people.^[b] In his third year of reign, it didn't snow in the capital.^[c] In his fourth year of reign, Minjung found a stone grotto in the Western region of his kingdom and was said to have rested in it after a long hunt.^[3]

Death

In the year 48, during the fifth year of his reign, Minjung fell ill and died. On his deathbed, he requested to be buried in a grotto in Minjung-won, where he was eventually laid to rest. As a result, he was given the posthumous name, Minjung.^[3]

Notes

^ From Samguk Sagi "閔中王諱解色朱大武神王之弟也大武神王薨太子幼少不克卽政於是國人推戴以立之冬十一月大赦".
^ cited from book 14 of Samguk Sagi, 2nd volume of Goguryeo bongi. "二年春三月宴群臣夏五月國東大水民饑發倉賑給".
^ Samguk Sagi,"三年秋七月王東狩獲白獐冬十一月星孛于南二十日而滅十二月京都無雪"

References

^ Nahm, Andrew C. Korea: Tradition and Transformation — A History of the Korean People, second edition, Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym International (1996). ISBN 1-56591-070-2, pp. 573
^ ^a ^b "King Minjung, King Mobon". KBS World Radio. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
^ ^a ^b "민중왕" (in Korean). Doopedia. Retrieved 2016-02-28.