Ajagae was a military leader in the Sangju

Sangju

Sangju is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gyeongsang provinces...

 area during the waning years of Unified Silla

Unified Silla

Unified Silla or Later Silla is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, when it conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, unifying the southern portion of the Korean peninsula...

. He led a local rebellion which seized Sangju. He is remembered today primarily as the father of Gyeon Hwon

Gyeon Hwon

Gyeon Hwon was the king and founder of Hubaekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" . He was also the progenitor of the Hwanggan Gyeon clan...

, the king of Hubaekje

Hubaekje

Hubaekje, or Later Baekje, was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Hugoguryeo and Silla. It was officially founded by the disaffected Silla general Gyeon Hwon in 900, and fell to Wanggeon's Goryeo army in 936. Its capital was at Jeonju, in present-day North Jeolla province...

. Some Gyeon family lineages therefore claim him as their progenitor, although he himself was of Yi

Lee (Korean name)

Lee is the common English spelling of 이 , a common Korean family name. The proper pronunciation in South Korea is like the English letter "E", although in North Korea the name is still written as "리" and pronounced "Lee". Many times South Koreans will knowingly introduce themselves as "Lee" to...

 descent. Ajagae was born and lived most of his life in Gaeun, in modern-day Mungyeong

Mungyeong

Mungyeong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk Province, South Korea. The local government, economy, and transportation networks are all centered in Jeomchon, the principal town. Mungyeong has a lengthy history, and is known today for its various historic and scenic tourist attractions...

 City, where he was a farmer. According to the Samguk Yusa

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 , as well as to other periods and states before, during, and after the Three Kingdoms period.The text was written in Classical Chinese, which was...

, he was descended from King Jinheung of Silla, but clearly his branch of the family had lost its royal connection some time before.

Since there is no record of interactions between Ajagae and Gyeon Hwon during their later years, it is possible that Ajagae was not really Gyeon Hwon's father. The records of the Later Three Kingdoms period, however, are too sparse to permit any conclusive judgment. It is equally possible that the two men became estranged after Gyeon Hwon left home to join the Silla army.

See also

• History of Korea
  History of Korea
  The Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
  
  
• List of Korea-related topics