Korean History: The Kingdom of Gaya

Like the virgin birth, in the first century, hatching from an egg could symbolize spiritual birth in Christianity and enlightenment in Buddhism. So as soon as he hatched from the egg (after being spiritually reborn or enlightened), he was crowned king.

Six years later, in 48 A.D., King Suro married Princess Hur Hwangok from Ayuta (there is a hypothesis that this surname is the same as the surname in the movie “Ben-Hur”). He was greatly loved by all his subjects. According to Samguk Yusa, she became the wife of King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya at the age of 16, after having arrived by boat from a distant kingdom called "Ayuta".

As for King Suro, he is considered the legendary founder and Hero King of Geumgwan Gaya. His posthumous name is Sureung, and he lived to 199 AD. The couple had ten sons and two daughters. The eldest son was given the surname Kim to continue the royal line, and the two sons(2nd & 3rd) were given the surname Hur at the earnest request of the queen. The rest were called Kim, after King Kim Suro's surname.

In 532 AD, King Gu Hyung, the last king of Gaya, ceded territory to Silla to prevent a great war and the bloodshed of his people. He was allowed to remain in Garakguk, one of the six regions of Gaya, and his sons, Saejong, Muduk, and Muryeong, were given positions in the Silla royal court.
 

General Kim Yusin was the grandson of King Guhyung, the last king of Gaya, and his father was King Muryeol, the father-in-law of King Muryeol of Silla. King Muryeol was a famous general in the Silla kingdom, and he and King Muryeol later unified the three kingdoms of Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje on the Korean Peninsula to form a unified Silla. The Gimhae family flourished and regained power after General Kim Yusin, and today there are 148 families in the Gimhae family.
The Gimhae-Kim, Gimhae-Hur(or Huh, Heo), and Gimhae-Lee(or Yi) clans in particular are direct descendants of legendary kings and queens, and more than six million Koreans can trace their lineage today. These three clans trace their main kwan (geographic and biological ancestral roots) to Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, and restrict intermarriage among themselves because of their shared ancestry. Today, Gimhae Kim is the largest of the several clans. The Gimhae Hur are descended from the two sons of King Suro who took the surname of their mother, Lady Hur Hwangok, instead of their father's surname.
 

According to the population and housing census of 2000 conducted by the South Korean government, there are a total of 286 surnames and 4,179 clans. but the four most popular - Kim, Lee (Yi), Park (Pak), Choi (Choe) ...

However, having the same last name does not always mean that persons share the same blood heritage. Koreans have maintained the unique system of using their regional bases as an important way to differentiate their identities.

For example, there are 285 regional origins for the Kims, such as the Gimhae Kim clan and Kyongju Kim clan, etc. There are 241 regional bases for the Lees, including Chonju and Kwangju. There are 128 for Parks and 127 for Choi, among others.

A Korean clan is a group of people that share the same ancestor and is indicated by the combination of a bon-gwan (geographic place of origin) and a family name (clan name). However, a bon-gwan isn't treated as a part of a Korean person's name.