Tomb of King Beopheung, Gyeongju

This is the tomb of King Beopheung (r. 514–540), the 23rd king of Silla. King Beopheung completed Silla's transformation into a centralised ancient state. To strengthen royal authority he established the post of Sangdaedeung, the highest-ranking state council office, and the Ministry of War, and in 520 he promulgated a legal code. In 532 he annexed Geumgwan Gaya, giving Silla its first foothold in the Nakdonggang River basin. He was the first Silla king to adopt an independent era name, Geonwon, and he sent envoys to the Liang dynasty of China. In 527, following the martyrdom of Ichadon, he adopted Buddhism as the state religion, laying the ideological foundation of the ancient state. The tomb is 2 m high and 14 m in diameter, making it small for a Silla royal tomb of the Three Kingdoms period. Natural stones survive at its base that once supported kerbstones. The tombs of kings before Beopheung are concentrated on the flat land of Gyeongju and are difficult to identify individually, whereas the tombs of later kings stand apart in groups of two or three on hills or in the outskirts, with records of their locations surviving. This change appears to be connected with a change in the form of royal tombs, and since the start of that change can be traced to King Beopheung's tomb, the site is of considerable importance.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적