Geom Mojam (?-670) was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

after its fall to

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of ...

in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River valley and in 670 established Anseung (안승, 安勝, another source has it as Ansun, 안순, 安舜) as the new King of Goguryeo. Anseung is believed to have been the illegitimate son of King Bojang, the last ruler of that kingdom. The capital was set up in modern-day Chaeryŏng-gun, South Hwanghae,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

. The rebellion is briefly described in the ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Kore ...

'', Goguryeo Book 10. One source gives Geom's birthplace as Surimseong (수림성, 水臨城), while the

(“Annals of Silla”/King Munmu 10/Month 6) relates that he was a native of the walled city of Yeongnim (location unknown). His date of birth is unknown. As military official, the

relates, he reached the rank of ''daehyeong'' (대형, 大兄), seventh among the 14 ranks of Goguryeo officialdom. However, the New History of Tang (book 220/“Gaoli Monograph”) records his name as Gyeom Mojam (겸모잠, 鉗牟岑) and his office as that of daejang. The

relates how following the fall of Goguryeo Geom departed from Gungmo fortress (궁모성, 窮牟城) and arriving to the south of the

Pae River The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthenin ...

he met and killed several Tang officials and the monk Fa An (法安) before heading for Silla territory. En route to Silla he met Anseung at Saya Island (present day Soya Island) and together they came to Han fortress (present day Chaeryŏng, Chaeryŏng county, South Hwanghae Province). There Anseung was proclaimed king of Goguryeo. After placing Anseung on the throne, Geom dispatched the ''sohyeong'' (소형, 小兄) ''Dasik'' (다식, 多式) to Silla to request armed assistance and recognition from that kingdom. Silla at this time was struggling to avoid absorption into the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

through the Protectorate General to Pacify the East (安東都護府), a military government Tang had established on the peninsula after the fall of Baekje and Goguryeo. Therefore, Silla eagerly sent an embassy recognizing Ansun as the legitimate King of Goguryeo and offering an alliance. But relation with Geom and Anseung suddenly deteriorated, and Geom was assassinated at the behest of Anseung. After the assassination, Anseung fled to Silla and later ruled the short-lived Bodeok Kingdom based in Iksan. Geom's struggle is comparable to that of the

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo of Baekje, Onjo, the third son of Gogurye ...

leader Boksin, who led a similarly ill-fated attempt to restore the Baekje state a decade before. The ultimate failure of Geom's struggle also prepared the way for the subsequent Goguryeo diaspora.On the Goguryeo diaspora see
/ref>

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Kim Myung-soo in the 2006-2007 KBS TV series '' Dae Jo Yeong''.

In popular culture

Notes

See also