King Sansang (died 227, r. 196–227 ) was the 10th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the third son of the eighth king Sindae and the younger brother of the ninth king Gogukcheon, who died without an heir.
Family Father: King Sindae () Consort and their respective issue(s): Queen, of the U clan (); daughter of U So () – No issue. A woman from Jutong village ()Her title was Sohu (), meaning Little Queen, and her name was Hunyeo (), meaning Queen Lady. She is described to have had a beautiful face in the Samguk sagi. In 208, the king secretly went to her house at night, consented not to throw it away if she became pregnant and then committed adultery with her. However, Queen Wu who heard this became jealous and secretly sent soldiers to kill this pregnant lady. Sansang then went to her house and confirmed that she was pregnant his child, even gave her a great gift. Prince Uwigeo ()
Background and rise to the throne Upon Gogukcheon's death, his queen Lady U supported Sansang's claim and had him placed on the throne. She then became Sansang's queen.Pae-yong Yi, 《Women in Korean History 한국 역사 속의 여성들》, Ewha Womans University Press, 2008. , pp.122-123 This indicates that the custom of Levirate marriage was still practiced in Goguryeo, but also demonstrated Lady U's power in court.
In 208, the Chinese warlord Gongsun Kang sent aid to Balgi, the older brother of Sansang, in support of his claim to the Goguryeo throne. Accounts differ on whether or not Balgi succeeded. The 12th century Samguk Sagi says he was defeated by Gyesu, younger brother of Sansang, whereas Chinese records say that the invasion won, conquering territory where Balgi was settled. KHJ Gardiner notes that the Samguk Sagi "seeks to reverse the reality of a defeat" in several instances and doubts both the existence of Gyesu as well as his victory.
Goguryeo was invaded by warlord Gongsun Kang in 204 after the older brother of the Goguryeo King Sansang of Goguryeo, Balgi, went to Gongsun Kang and requested 30,000 soldiers to invade Goguryeo so that Balgi could become king. Around this time, Kang established the Daifang Commandery by separating the southern half from the Lelang commandery. In 209, Kang invaded Goguryeo again seized some of its territory and weakened Goguryeo.
Pressure from Liaodong forced Goguryeo to move their capital in the Hun River valley to the Yalu River valley near Hwando.'Gina L. Barnes', "State Formation in Korea", 2001 Curzon Press, pp. 22–23' In 217, he granted refuge to a thousand families from the Liaodong region.
Successor In the eleventh lunar month of 208, the king chased a sacrificial boar to the village of Jutongchon, where he met a young woman and spent the day with her. The queen heard of this and sent royal forces, failing to kill her owing to her assertion that she conceived. The woman gave birth to a son and became a royal concubine. The son was made crown prince in 213 and later became King Dongcheon.
Sansang died during 227, the 31st year of his reign, and was buried in Sansang-neung.
In popular culture Portrayed by Kang Young-seok in the 2024 TVING original series Queen Woo.
See also History of Korea Three Kingdoms of Korea List of Korean monarchs Gongsun Kang
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