— Overview
The title names Busan heritage; the visit itself, the writer says, was the first stop on a walking trip in Gimhae, chosen while visiting the Busan area, with a preference for heritage over modern tourist sites. King Suro is also the founder of the Gimhae Kim clan. In the Garakgukgi of the Samguk yusa, a passage says that he died on a given day and “lived 158 years.” Whether the slip is Iryeon’s, or that of Kim Yang-gam, the Goryeo official of Geumgwan who wrote the Garakgukgi, or a later carver’s error, cannot be decided; read properly, the notes say, it should have been a reign of 158 years, not a lifespan, and common sense today cannot accept that a person sat on the throne so long. Cheon Gwan-woo, a journalist and historian, in Restoration of Gaya History, holds that a 158-year reign cannot be believed, but that the span is the founding period of Guya-guk (狗邪國), symbolized by Suro. In the nineteenth year of King Yuri of Silla, AD 42, a dazzling golden box holding six eggs came down from heaven on Gujibong; from the eggs, people were born. Suro was one of them, nine cheok tall, and the first to become human, hence the name.
Grown, he took as queen Princess Heo Hwang-ok of Ayuta, the land the notes name, in AD 48. The kingdom flourished for 491 years, until the nineteenth year of King Beopheung of Silla, AD 532, and flowered a culture of its own in the region centred on the Nakdong. Even so, in the shadow of Baekje and Silla, Garak’s history survives only in the Garakgukgi and in a few lines of chronicle in the Samguk sagi. The Samguk yusa also has him dying in AD 199, and a tomb made that year in Gimhae, on flat ground to the north-east of the palace, named Suro’s tomb. The tomb, the notes say, was well preserved through Goryeo; it is thought to have fallen into ruin in early Joseon, and in the Joseon period to have recovered the look it has now. The writer’s reading of the tale is that “from heaven” may mean an incoming group, not the native nine chieftains; that group was not strong enough to rule alone, and a confederacy was made, as the tale of his being raised as king by the nine suggests. Six eggs become six people who take the six Gaya in shares. The golden box on a purple rope, and the queen’s crossing of the sea, are also read as sunlight and water needed for farming, a tale-form of an early agrarian society. A recent mythological approach, the notes add, sees Suro’s tale, Dongmyeong, Jumong, Silla’s three founder kings, and the three-clan tale of Jeju as sharing a social basis of the same era despite different regional backgrounds. The tomb, by its name, is intuitively Kim Suro’s, founder of Garak and of Geumgwan Gaya, among the early strong powers in Gaya. Shop chrome is unused.
— Contents and key concepts
A walking trip in Gimhae, and a problem in the Samguk yusa
The title names Busan heritage. The visit itself, the writer says, was chosen while visiting the Busan area, with a preference for heritage over modern tourist sites. This time the plan was to walk the sights of Gimhae, and King Suro’s tomb was thought of as the first stop. King Suro is also the founder of the Gimhae Kim clan, one of the great surnames of the country.
In the Garakgukgi of the Samguk yusa, a passage records a date of death and says that he “lived 158 years.” There is a problem in the Samguk yusa here, the notes say. Whether the slip is Iryeon’s, or that of Kim Yang-gam, the Goryeo official of Geumgwan who wrote the Garakgukgi, or a later carver’s error when a woodblock was cut, cannot be decided; read properly, it should have been a reign of 158 years, not a lifespan, and common sense today cannot accept that a person sat on the throne so long.
Cheon Gwan-woo, a journalist and historian, in Restoration of Gaya History, holds that a 158-year reign cannot be believed, but that the span is the founding period of Guya-guk (狗邪國), symbolized by Suro. Those years stay as the notes give them, and are not recast as a later official total.
Six eggs on Gujibong, a queen from Ayuta, and a kingdom until 532
In the nineteenth year of King Yuri of Silla, AD 42, a dazzling golden box holding six eggs came down from heaven on Gujibong; from the eggs, people were born. Suro was one of them, nine cheok tall, and the first to become human, hence the name Suro. Grown, he took as queen Princess Heo Hwang-ok of Ayuta, the land the notes name (Ayuta-guk, and in one place Yayuta-guk), in AD 48.
The kingdom of Garak, once Suro had founded it, flourished for 491 years, until the nineteenth year of King Beopheung of Silla, AD 532, and flowered a culture of its own in the region centred on the Nakdong. Even so, buried in the shadow of Baekje and Silla, Garak’s history survives only in the Garakgukgi of the Samguk yusa, or in a few lines of chronicle in the Samguk sagi, traces picked up in pieces.
The Samguk yusa also has him dying in AD 199, and a tomb made that year in Gimhae. In the “funeral” section, a tomb is said to have been made on flat ground to the north-east of the palace, a funeral held there, and the name “tomb of King Suro” given. The tomb, the notes say, was well preserved through Goryeo; it is thought to have fallen into ruin in early Joseon, and in the Joseon period to have recovered the look it has now. The unique body begins to mention the Imjin War and then breaks off, and that thread is not completed here.
Nine chieftains, six Gaya, sunlight and water
Since the opening of Garak, the notes say, there was for a time no name of a country, and no titles of king and minister, but nine chieftains who ruled the people; one day six eggs came down from heaven, became people, and, Suro among them, took the six Gaya in shares. The writer’s reading is that “from heaven” may mean an incoming group that brought some new culture, not the native nine; that group was not strong enough to subdue the nine and lead the country alone, and a confederacy was made, as the tale of his being raised as king by the nine suggests.
The golden box on a purple rope that came down from heaven, and Queen He’s crossing of the sea, are also read as sunlight and water needed for farming, a tale-form that explains an early agrarian society. A recent mythological approach, the notes add, is worth watching: it sees Suro’s tale, Dongmyeong, Jumong, Silla’s three founder kings, and the three-clan tale of Jeju as sharing a social basis of the same era despite different regional backgrounds, even though, with literature, archaeology, anthropology, sociology and mythology all drawn in, facts left behind still hardly show their own face.
The tomb, by its name, is intuitively Kim Suro’s. He is the founder of Garak and of Geumgwan Gaya, among the countries in Gaya that showed a strong power early on; he took the throne in AD 42, married in AD 48, and is, as is well known, the founder of the Gimhae Kim clan. Those years stay as the notes give them. The same Korean essay, at fuller length, is on CampusDown.
Sources
- A student visit to King Suro’s tomb, the first stop on a walking trip in Gimhae, chosen while visiting the Busan area, with a preference for heritage over modern tourist sites.
- A problem in the Garakgukgi of the Samguk yusa over “lived 158 years” or a reign, and Cheon Gwan-woo’s reading of the span as the founding period of Guya-guk, with years from AD 42, 48, 199 and 532 left as given.
- Nine chieftains and six Gaya, an incoming group not strong enough to rule alone, and a reading of the golden box and the queen’s crossing of the sea as sunlight and water in an early agrarian tale.
Last updated: 14 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
Why is the visit listed under Busan heritage, and where did the writer actually go?
The title names Busan heritage. The visit itself, the writer says, was the first stop on a walking trip in Gimhae, chosen while visiting the Busan area, with a preference for heritage over modern tourist sites. King Suro is also the founder of the Gimhae Kim clan. The tomb, by its name, is intuitively his, the founder of Garak and of Geumgwan Gaya.
How do the notes treat the 158 years, and which years from AD 42 onward are left as given?
A passage in the Garakgukgi of the Samguk yusa says he “lived 158 years”; read properly, the notes say, it should have been a reign, which common sense cannot accept as a personal sitting on the throne. Cheon Gwan-woo reads the span as the founding period of Guya-guk, symbolized by Suro. In AD 42 a golden box of six eggs came down on Gujibong; in AD 48 he married Heo Hwang-ok of Ayuta; the kingdom lasted until AD 532, 491 years. The Samguk yusa also has him dying in AD 199. Those years stay as given.
How does the writer read “from heaven,” and the golden box and the crossing of the sea?
“From heaven” may mean an incoming group, not the native nine chieftains; that group was not strong enough to rule alone, and a confederacy was made, as his being raised as king by the nine suggests. Six eggs become six people who take the six Gaya in shares. The golden box on a purple rope, and the queen’s crossing of the sea, are also read as sunlight and water needed for farming, a tale-form of an early agrarian society.
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