Minjung of Goguryeo

King Minjung of Goguryeo (? – 48, r. 44–48[1]) was the fourth ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Minjung of Goguryeo
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

Background

According to Samguk Sagi, he was the younger brother of his predecessor Daemusin, and the fifth and youngest son of Goguryeo's second king Yuri. As Hae U (the subsequent king Mobon),who was the nephew of Minjung,son of Daemusin and the crown prince, was still young to rule,Minjung(then known as haesaekjoo),who ascended to the throne with national support,became king.[2]However, an alternative account exists in Samguk Yusa,which accounts that Minjung was the son of Daemusin and the younger brother of Mobon(Hae U).

Reign

Though Minjung did not reign for long, he was able to avoid military conflicts and kept peace through most of the kingdom. A massive pardon of prisoners occurred in his first year of reign.[lower-alpha 1] Several natural disasters marked his reign. In the second year of Minjung's reign, a flood 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.[lower-alpha 2] In the third year of his reign,it didn't snow in the capital.[lower-alpha 3] In the fourth year of his 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.[2]

Death

In 48, after 5 years of reign, Minjung fell ill and died. On his deathbed, he asked to be buried at the place where he had rested and his subjects fulfilled his wish. He was buried at a stone grotto in Minjung-won, thus he was given the posthumous name, Minjung.[2]

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• History of Korea
• Three Kingdoms of Korea
• List of Korean monarchs

Notes

1. 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".
2. 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".
3. 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

1. 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
2. "민중왕" (in Korean). Doopedia. Retrieved 2016-02-28.