[ad_1]
Copyright of the image
Getty Images
South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook
The first South Korean lady, Kim Jung-sook, is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, where she visits the ancient city of & #ar Pra Pra Pra Pra Pra Pra Pra. Ayodhya.
Ayodhya, better known as the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram, is of particular importance to some South Koreans – many believe they can trace their ancestors back to the city.
This belief comes from several Korean historical stories that tell the story of an Indian princess – Suriratna – who married a South Korean king and initiated a dynasty.
What does the legend say?
According to legend, Princess Suriratna, also known as Heo Hwang-ok, traveled to Korea in the year AD 48, about 2000 years ago, and began the Karak Dynasty by marrying a king. local.
Some Chinese language texts claim that the Ayodhya king of the day had a dream where God had ordered him to send his 16-year-old daughter to Gimhae, South Korea, to marry King Kim Suro .
Copyright of the image
Twitter
Princess Suriratna
Samguk Yusa (Memories of the Three Kingdoms), a South Korean popular book featuring fables and historical stories, mentions that Queen Hwang-ok was the princess of the kingdom "Ayuta".
The royal couple prospered. They had 10 sons and both lived more than 150 years.
An anthropologist named Kim Byung-mo Ayuta seemed to confirm the widespread belief that Ayuta was actually Ayodhya, as the two names were similar.
- Korean meetings: families divided by war meet in the north
But nothing clearly indicates that the princess even existed.
"His original story is considered mythical and is not considered a history by academics," said David Cann of the Korean BBC service.
"There have been several fictitious interpretations of history as there is plenty of room for imagination."
The Karak dynasty
Kim is a common family name in Korea, and King Kim Suro is considered the father of the Gimhae-based Kim Clan.
"While traditionally children in Korea carry the family name of their father, the queen would have been sad not to be able to carry her family name," said Minji Lee of the Korean BBC service.
"The legend says that King Suro allowed two of their sons to take his name (Heo), which is used today."
Copyright of the image
Getty Images
Kim Jong-Pil (left) and Kim Hyun-Chul (right), son of late former South Korean President Kim Young-Sam, all come from the Karak Dynasty
Today, according to historians, the descendants of the couple represent more than six million people, about 10% of the South Korean population.
The inhabitants of the Karak Dynasty also preserved the rocks that the Princess would have used during her sea voyage to Korea to keep her boat in a stable condition.
Former South Korean presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim-Dae Jung, as well as former Prime Minister Kim Jong-Pil, claim their ancestors to the Karak Dynasty.
Is the legend popular in South Korea?
Some of our colleagues from the Korean BBC service said they heard about this legend, but do not believe it's a widely commented story because "it goes back so far in the past".
"I remember hearing her when I was in elementary school or college and that my friends and I were fascinated by the way our ancestry involves someone from so far away. "said Ms. Lee.
Some say that there is speculation that the princess would actually be Thai because Ayuta could actually be the kingdom of Ayutthaya in Thailand.
Articles on the Internet tell that some people in Gimhae refer to this legend as "a family joke", especially if they have darker skin, attributing this legend to their "ancestor native or not of India" .
"Some people think that it is true that it comes from a" southern country over an ocean ", the story has been considerably enriched when Buddhism has took root in Korea, "said Mr. Cann, who also remembers a musical interpretation of the legend. a child.
How has legend affected modern ties?
Copyright of the image
Getty Images
South Korean President Moon Jae-in with his wife Kim Jung-sook and Indian leaders on their recent trip to New Delhi
An agreement was signed to develop Ayodhya and Gimhae as sister cities in 2000.
Then, in 2001, more than 100 historians and government officials, including North Korea's ambassador to India, unveiled Queen Hwang-ok's memorial on the west bank of the Saryu River in Ayodhya.
Every year, people who claim to belong to the lineage of the Queen come to Ayodhya to pay homage to the princess of her motherland.
- The Mughal Queen became a feminist icon
In 2016, a Korean delegation sent a proposal to the government of Uttar Pradesh to further develop the memorial.
As part of her visit from November 4 to 7, the First Lady will attend a ceremony marking the beginning of the monument's modernization – a joint venture between South Korea and India.
Professor Kim-do Young, an expert in Korean studies based in Delhi, said that this shared history began to be recognized in India "after the development of diplomatic and economic relations" between the two countries.
"Whether it is the story or the legend – based on it – mental or spiritual gap [between the people] is reduced and a common cultural ground is created, "he adds, noting that it is interesting to note that there may be an" old connection "between the two nations.
The story of Queen Hwang-ok was and may be the "base for building better relations" between South Korea and India.
According to Professor Young, the visit of South Korea's first lady is one more step in this direction.
