Kim Alji was a historical figure in Korean history. His descendents formed the Kim royal clan of Silla

Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea

Three Kingdoms of Korea

The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...

.

His legendary birth is said to have occurred during the reign of Silla's fourth ruler, King Talhae of Silla

Talhae of Silla

Talhae of Silla was the fourth king of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is commonly called Talhae Isageum or Seok Talhae, isageum being the royal title in early Silla.-Background:...

. Though Kim Alji did not rule as King of Silla, his descendants did. Today, 1.7 million South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

ns are in the Gyeongju Kim clan, who trace their genealogy to Kim Alji.

Birth legend

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...

 and Samguk Sagi

Samguk Sagi

Samguk Sagi is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The Samguk Sagi is written in Classical Chinese and its compilation was ordered by Goryeo's King Injong Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of...

 both contain nearly the same story about Kim Alji's birth.

In the year 65 (9th year of Talhae

Talhae of Silla

Talhae of Silla was the fourth king of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is commonly called Talhae Isageum or Seok Talhae, isageum being the royal title in early Silla.-Background:...

's reign), King Talhae heard a rooster crowing in Sirim

Gyerim

The Gyerim is a small woodland in Gyeongju National Park, Gyeongju, South Korea. The name literally means "rooster forest." The grove lies near the old site of the Silla kingdom palace in central Gyeongju. Nearby landmarks include the Banwolseong fortress, Cheomseongdae, the Gyeongju National...

, west of Geumseong (Gyeongju

Gyeongju

Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...

, the Silla capital at the time). He sent his minister, Hogong

Hogong

Hogong was a minister of Silla in the age of nation-building. It is recorded that he was originally from the Wa people of Japan, though his family name or clan name was unknown to the compiler of the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms. He was called Hogong because he was putting on his...

, who was from Japan, to investigate, whereupon Hogong found a golden box hanging on a branch. Light was emanating from the box, and a white rooster was crowing under it.

Hearing this report, the king ordered the box brought to him. When the king opened the box, there was an infant inside. The king was very pleased and reared him. Because he was born from a golden box and was very clever, the king named him "Kim (金, meaning gold) Alji (meaning gold in native korean, with the hanja 閼智 supposed to be read phonetically)". The forest where the box was found was named Gyerim (rooster forest), which also was used as the name of Silla.

This legend is similar to the birth legend of the founder of Silla, Bak Hyeokgeose of Silla

Bak Hyeokgeose of Silla

Hyeokgeose of Silla , commonly called Bak Hyeokgeose, was the founding monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea...

 (who is said to have called himself Alji Geoseogan).

Modern interpreters have suggested that the Kim Alji may have been the chief of a "gold" (al) clan of northern Korea/Manchuria.

Death

The circumstances and time of his death are currently unknown and cannot be precisely located within any records, but it is known that his descendants continued to serve as powerful officials within the Silla court until the time came when they took power.

Royal Kim clan

Kim's son was Sehan (세한(勢漢)), and subsequent generations are recorded as: Ado (아도(阿都)) - Suryu (수류(首留)) - Ukbo (욱보(郁甫)) - Gudo (구도(俱道)). Gudo's son (Kim Alji's seventh generation descendant) was the first Silla king of the Kim line, Michu of Silla

Michu of Silla

Michu of Silla was the thirteenth ruler of the Korean state of Silla . He was the first king of the Kim clan to sit on the Silla throne; this clan would hold the throne for most of Silla's later history...

.

Sources

• http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E5%9C%8B%E5%8F%B2%E8%A8%98/%E6%96%B0%E7%BE%85%E6%9C%AC%E7%B4%80/%E5%8D%B71/%E8%84%AB%E8%A7%A3_%E5%B0%BC%E5%B8%AB%E4%BB%8A