Suro of Geumgwan Gaya

Suro of Geumgwan Gaya
Tomb of King Suro in Gimhae
Korean name
Hangul	수로왕
Hanja	首露王
Revised Romanization	Suro-wang
McCune–Reischauer	Suro-wang

Suro (수로), or Sureung (posthumous name: 수릉, 首陵, ? - 199), commonly called Gim Suro, was the legendary founder and king of the state of Geumgwan Gaya in southeastern Korea.

According to the founding legend of Geumgwan Gaya recorded in the 13th century texts of the chronicle Garakguk-gi (hangul: 가락국기, hanja: 駕洛國記) of Samguk Yusa, King Suro was one of six princes born from eggs that descended from the sky in a golden bowl wrapped in red cloth. Suro was the firstborn among them and led the others in setting up 6 states while asserting the leadership of the Gaya confederacy.

Also according to legend, King Suro's queen Heo Hwang-ok was a princess from a distant country called Ayuta (아유타, 阿踰陀; variously identified with Ayodhya in India or Ayuhatta in Thailand. However, the Indian city was known as Saketa, not Ayodhya, in the ancient period; while the Thai city was not founded until 1350 CE.

The legend as a whole is seen as indicative of the early view of kings as descended from heaven. Notably, a number of Korean kingdoms besides the six Gaya made foundation legends with ties to chickens and eggs. Jumong, the founding king of Goguryeo, is said to have been born from an egg laid by Lady Yuhwa of Buyeo; Bak Hyeokgeose, the first king of Saro-guk, or Silla, is said to have hatched from an egg discovered in a well; and Gim Al-ji, the progenitor of the Gim dynasty of Shilla, is said to have been discovered in Gyerim Forest by Hogong in a golden box, where a rooster was crowing. Aspects of the legend have been mined for information about the customs of Gaya, of which little is known.

A tomb attributed to King Suro is still maintained in modern-day Gimhae. Members of the Gimhae Gim clan, who continue to play important roles in Korean life today, trace their ancestry to King Suro, as do members of the Gimhae Heo clan; they did not inter-marry until the beginning of the 20th century.