Hae Geumwa () was the second ruler (48–7 BCE) of

Dongbuyeo Eastern Buyeo, also rendered as Dongbuyeo or Eastern Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that developed from Buyeo, Northern Buyeo (Northern Fuyu), until it was conquered by Goguryeo. According to the ''Samguk Sagi'', it was established when the Buyeo ...

(East

Buyeo Buyeo (; ; ), also rendered as Puyŏ or Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It had ties to the Yemaek people, who are considered to be the ancestors of modern Koreans. Buyeo is ...

), an ancient kingdom of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. His story is recorded in the ''

Samguk sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

'', ''

Samguk Yusa ''Samguk yusa'' (; ) or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales, and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, d ...

'' and ''Book of King Dongmyeong''.

Birth and background

Geumwa (金蛙 or 金蝸) was the son of Hae Buru, who was the king of

. According to the ''

Samgukyusa ''Samguk yusa'' (; ) or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales, and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, d ...

'', Hae Buru was old and without an heir, when he found a gold-colored frog-like (or a gold-colored snail-like) child under a large rock near Lake Gonyeon. Hae Buru named the child ''Geumwa'', meaning golden frog (or golden snail), and later made him crown prince. Hae Buru established

when he moved the capital east to Gaseopwon () by the East Sea.

Reign

Jumong's departure

Geumwa became king after Hae Buru's death. At Ubal river (), south of Mount Taebaek, Geumwa met

Lady Yuhwa Habaengnyeo () or Habaengnyeorang () was the daughter of Habaek (), and the mother of Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (Ko Chumong), the founder of the kingdom of Goguryeo. She was also given the name Yuhwa () in ''Samguk Sagi'' and ''Samguk Yusa''. Myth ...

(), the disowned daughter of Habaek (), the god of the Amnok River or, according to an alternative interpretation, the sun god Haebak (), and brought her back to his palace. She was impregnated by sunlight and conceived Ko Chumong (

Dongmyeong of Goguryeo Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (), personal name Ko Chumong (), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. King Dongmyeong was also an important figure for the kingdom of ...

). Geumwa's two sons resented Chumong, and so did he. He attempted numerous times to destroy Chumong when he was a teen, but later gave up, as the boy was indestructible. Chumong later ran away to

Jolbon Jolbon () was the first capital of Goguryeo, which arose in the north of the Korean Peninsula. Jolbon is thought to have been in modern Wunü Mountain, Liaoning province of China. Jolbon was also known by the names of Heulseunggol-seong in the ''B ...

, or former Bukbuyeo, where he later established

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

Mother of Goguryeo

, Jumong's mother, died. Geumwa gave her the burial of a Queen Mother (Queen Mother of Goguryeo), despite the fact that she had never been a queen. Chumong sent numerous gifts to Geumwa in gratitude of caring for his mother, and peace was seemingly restored between the two kingdoms.

Death

Geumwa died, and the throne was passed to his eldest son

Daeso Hae Daeso (; 60 BCE – 22 AD, r. 7 BCE – 22 AD) was the third and last ruler of the ancient Korean kingdom Dongbuyeo. Early life Daeso was the first son of King Geumwa, and the grandson of Dongbuyeo's founder and first ruler, Hae Buru. As th ...

. King Daeso attacked Goguryeo during the reign of its second ruler, King Yuri. Goguryeo's third ruler King Daemusin attacked

and killed Daeso. After internal strife, Dongbuyeo fell, and its territory was absorbed into Goguryeo.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Jun Kwang-ryul Jun Kwang-ryul (; born February 11, 1960) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series '' Hur Jun'', '' Jumong'' and '' Bread, Love and Dreams''. Filmography Television series *'' Jinxed at First'' (2022) ...

in the 2006–2007 MBC TV series ''

Jumong Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (), personal name Ko Chumong (), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. King Dongmyeong was also an important figure for the kingdom of ...

''.