Yuri- Korean DemigodDemigod"Second King of Goguryeo"

Birth and Early Life in Buyeo

Yuri was the son of Jumong, born to his first wife before Jumong's escape from Buyeo. When Jumong fled the jealousy and persecution of King Geumwa's other sons, he was forced to leave behind his pregnant wife. Before departing, Jumong left a broken sword with Yuhwa, his divine mother, as a token by which his future child could prove their parentage.

Yuri grew up in Buyeo, raised by his mother and sheltered by his grandmother Yuhwa, the daughter of the water god Habaek. Through Yuhwa, Yuri learned of his father's divine nature and the kingdom Jumong had founded in the south. The broken sword waited beneath a stone pillar.

The Broken Sword

Following Yuhwa's guidance, Yuri found the sword fragment and traveled south to Goguryeo. He presented it to Jumong. When the two pieces were joined and fit perfectly, Jumong recognized Yuri as his son and legitimate heir.

Succession and Soseono's Departure

Yuri's arrival at the Goguryeo court created a crisis. Soseono, Jumong's second wife and the woman who had provided the political connections and wealth that made Goguryeo's founding possible, had her own sons who expected to succeed their father. When Jumong recognized Yuri as firstborn son and heir, Soseono's position became untenable.

She departed Goguryeo with her sons Biryu and Onjo. They traveled south and founded the kingdom of Baekje.

Reign

After Jumong's death, Yuri succeeded as the second king of Goguryeo. He moved the capital from Jolbon to Gungnae, the base from which Goguryeo would expand into a great power. The Samguk Sagi also attributes to him the Hwangjo-ga, the Song of the Orioles, written in grief over the departure of a beloved consort. It is among the earliest known Korean poems.