The story of Gimhae Kim's clan
The story of Gimhae Kim's clan was narrated in Samguk Yusa, a Korean chronicle written by a monk, Iryon (1206 AD-1289 AD).
It is set in the Kaya kingdom in the first century CE. It says that the area (which is Gimhae Area now), in the south central Korean peninsula, was first ruled by nine elders (tribe chiefs), but there was no king.
According to Samguk Yusa, the Gimhae Kim family founder, Kim Suro, came in answer to a prayer offered by the nine elders of the ancient Gaya area, which is Gimhae region now. In 42 ad, these elders met together to pray for a king. In answer to their prayer, one day a voice spoke from heaven at a place called Kujibong (means 'the hill shaped like turtle' in Korean). A few hundred people gathered there, along with nine elders. The voice instructed them to go to the top of the mountain, dig up the land, dance and sing a song (now known as Kujisong). They did as instructed and a plum-colored cord descended from heaven.
They found a golden chest at the end of the cord and when they opened it, they discovered six golden eggs. The elders brought the chest home and the next day the eggs had transformed into six baby boys.
The boy who came out first named Kim, Suro (Suro means came out first and Last name Kim means Gold or Golden in Korean and Chinese) - who is the progenitor of Gimhae Kim's clan.
Suro Kim, the king of Geumgwan Gaya kingdom was the founder of Gaya confederacy. The other five eggs became the five kings of Garak’s neighboring kingdom, Gaya confederacy.
*Born from eggs from heaven symbolizes spiritual life. It may be related to Christian baptism and Buddhist enlightenment. That's why they became king as soon as born, and King Suro married 6 years later.
King Suro married to princess Huh Hwang Ok from Ayuta (Ayodhia) in 48 CE and the queen was greatly loved by all her subjects. She is said to have lived to the grand old age of 156. The couple had 10 sons and two daughters. Two of the sons (2nd and 3rd son) were named Huh after their mother's family name and the rest were called Kim, after King Kim Suro.
In the year 532 A.D., the last king of Kaya, King Koo Hyung, acquiesced his land to the kingdom of Shilla in order to prevent major warfare and further bloodshed for his people. They were allowed to remain in one of six Kayan regions, called Karagguk, and his sons, Sae Jong; Mu Deuk; and Mu Ryuk, were given positions within the royal court of Shilla.
General Kim Yoo Shin was the grandson of the last king of Kaya, King Koo Hyung. His father was MuRyuk, the father-in-law to the king of Shilla, King TaeJong Muyul. MuRyuk was also a famous general in the kingdom of Shilla. General Kim Yoo Shin and King Muyul later unified all three countries within the Korean peninsula, Shilla; Goguryo; and Baekjae, creating Tong-il ("unified") Shilla. The Kim Hae Kim clan thrived and regained power following General Kim Yoo Shin. There are now 148 different families within the Gimhae Kim clan.
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. These 3 clans associate their Bon-gwan (geo-biological lineage roots) to Gimhae, in the South Gyeongsang Province of South Korea, 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. The 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.
(source:
en.wikipedia.org)
(source:
en.wikipedia.org)
This site is for sharing common family information among members of the GimHae Kim Clan.
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