King Kim Suro founded Garakguk (A.D 42)
as ruler of Gaya and helped to promote the magnificent Gaya culture. The
Gaya period saw the cultivation of rice and production of iron, thereby
playing a leading part in helping to form an ancient civilization in Korea.
King Suro's tomb stands as a state symbol of the Gaya culture. King Suro was
also the family founder of the Gimhae Kim and Heo families. According to
legend, King Suro was the first person to hatch from eggs. Nearby Gujibong
is where golden eggs supposedly came down from the sky, from which the King
emerged. Thus his name was Suro.
Queen Heo was a princess of the Ayuta state in India. Right before her
death, she ordered two of her nine sons to follow her family name of Heo,
which formed the origin of the Gimhae Heo family. This is why men and women
having Gimhae Kim or Heo as their family name cannot get married.
[김해김씨] 제1화 시조편
김수로왕(金首露王)
Suro Wangneung
Tomb of King Suro
The tomb has been designated Historic Site #73. In 1580, the 13th year of
the reign of King Seonjo (r.1567-1608) of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910),
governor Ho Yop of the Yeongnam region (North and South Gyeongsang
Provinces) had the tomb repaired. There are several stone monuments to the
achievements of King Suro and buildings on the grounds, including
Sungseon-jeon, which contains the ancestral tablets. King Gojong (r.
1863-1907) named the structure Sungseon-jeon in 1878. The gravestone in
front of the tomb was erected in 1647, the 25th year of the reign of King
Injo (r. 1623-1649).
