Kim is the most common surname in Korea. It is pronounced gim and means gold.

The earliest mention of this name comes from the Samguk Yusa, a mix of historical and legendary writings about the Three Kingdoms Period in Korea (57 BC-668 AD) written by a Buddhist monk during the late thirteenth century.

The story goes that in 48 AD, Princess Heo Hwang-ok journeyed to Korea from a faraway country named Ayuda, which is perhaps Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh in northern India. She married King Suro, founder and ruler of the state of Geumgwan Gaya, which he ruled from 42 to 199 AD.

Geumgwan Gaya is thought to have been located near the modern city of Gimhae, near the mouth of the Nakdong River in southeastern Korea. There were nine villages under this king. King Suro was supposed to be one of six princes who were born from eggs that fell from the sky in a golden box. Heo Hwang-ok bore him ten children, and from these the Kim clan grew.

During this period, waves of migrants from the north came into this region. Archaeological evidence from this period shows a marked change in burial customs. Horses became customary finds in the tombs of the elite, a custom previously associated with the nomadic tribes of northern Asia. Further finds indicate that earlier burials may have been destroyed on purpose.

The Silla general, Kim Yu-shin (595-673) who led the campaign to unify the Korean peninsula was a member of this clan. During the Unified Silla Period (668-935), the Gimhae/Kim family held a high rank.

Today, there are many clans in this family. The Gimhae clan has the most members, and descends from the original king. The members of the Uiseong clan descend from the last prince of Silla who later became a Buddhist monk.

The Gyeongju clan was founded by Kim Alji. He was adopted by King Talhae of Silla in the first century AD, and has a story reminiscent of King Suro's birth. In the ninth year of his reign, King Talhae heard a rooster crowing at an odd time of the day and sent his Japanese minister, Hogong, to investigate. Hogong returned with a golden box he'd found hanging on a tree branch, under which he found a white rooster crowing. The box was lit from within by a golden light, and when it was opened, there was a baby boy inside. The child turned out to be a clever one and from this and his origin in the golden box, was named Kim.

In the seventh generation, Kim Alji's descendant, Michu, became the first Kim king of Silla. Modern interpretations of this tale propose that Kim Alji was actually the chieftan of a clan from northern Korea or Manchuria.

The smallest Kim clan is the Hamchang, who descend from King Taijo of Goryeong Gaya in northwestern Korea. He was a lesser chieftan during the Korean Three Kingdoms period who made an advantageous marital alliance with the Silla in 522. While this maneouver helped King Taejo avoid uprisings in 538, his marriage didn't help his kingdom for long, as it was taken over by the Silla in 562.


Source:
wikipedia-Kim (Korean name)
Gimhae for You

~Contributed by Feiyan Zhou