Gyeongsun (897–978), personal name Kim Pu, was the 56th and final ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla.

Biography

A sixth-generation descendant of King Munseong, he was the son of Kim Hyo-Jong by Princess Gyea, who was the daughter of King Heongang. His wife was Lady Jukbang of the Juksan Park clan, his eldest son was Crown Prince Maui, and his youngest son was Beomgong. Gyeongsun was placed on the throne by the Later Baekje king Kyŏn Hwŏn after the Hubaekje forces sacked Gyeongju in 927. The kingdom was already in an extremely weakened state, so Gyeongsun reigned over a tiny remnant of the former Silla territory until finally abdicating in favour of Taejo of Goryeo in 935. He remarried Taejo's daughter Princess Nangrang and was appointed sasim-gwan (사심관, inspector-general) of Gyeongju, becoming the first of Goryeo's sasim-gwan system. He lived out the remainder of his life near the Goryeo capital (modern-day Kaesong). He died in 978 and his tomb lies in Jangnam-myeon, Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. According to the Samguk sagi, Gyeongsun's son, Crown Prince Maui objected to his father's submission to Goryeo and became a hermit in Mount Kumgang.

Family

In popular culture