안동 김씨 family tree

안동 김씨(安東 金氏) — Said to arise from two lines: Kim Suk-seung (Old Andong), grandson of King Gyeongsun of Silla, and Kim Seon-pyeong (New Andong), a founding merit subject of Goryeo.

About the 안동 김씨 clan

Said to arise from two lines: Kim Suk-seung (Old Andong), grandson of King Gyeongsun of Silla, and Kim Seon-pyeong (New Andong), a founding merit subject of Goryeo. In the 2015 Census the 안동 김씨 clan numbered about 519,719 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 김, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 안동) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.

Old (舊) and New (新) Andong Kim

The Andong Kim clan as commonly known is made up of two lines: the Old Andong Kim and the New Andong Kim. Both share the ancestral seat of Andong but have different founders and are separate families. The New Andong Kim did not branch off from the Old Andong Kim; their roots differ and there is no blood tie between them. The family that flourished first in the Joseon era came to be called "Old" and the one that rose later "New".

The Statistics Korea census does not separate the two lines and counts them together as "Andong Kim" (about 520,000 in 2015).

Old (舊) Andong Kim
— Kim Bang-gyeong and His Descendants

Kim Bang-gyeong (金方慶, 1212–1300), restoration ancestor of the Old Andong Kim, was a descendant of King Gyeongsun of Silla and son of Minister of War Kim Hyo-in. He crushed the Sambyeolcho rebellion and led Goryeo forces in the Mongol-Goryeo invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281, and he is remembered for refusing to make a false confession even under brutal torture after being framed before a Yuan overseer. On retirement he was enfeoffed as Duke of Sangnak and given the posthumous title Chungnyeol, which is why the Old Andong Kim are also called the Sangnak Kim.

His great-great-grandson Kim Sa-hyeong helped enthrone Yi Seong-gye, became a first-rank Founding Merit Subject of Joseon and served as Left State Councillor, while his 12th-generation descendant Kim Si-min won the 1592 Battle of Jinju as magistrate of Jinju and died of his wounds. Independence leader Baekbeom Kim Gu is also known to belong to this line.

New (新) Andong Kim
— Later Andong Kim

Its founder is Taesa Kim Seon-pyeong (金宣平), a Goryeo founding merit subject and lord of Andong. In late Joseon (Sunjo to Cheoljong) this family produced three queens and many state councillors and dominated in-law politics. Its figures include the upright official Kim Gye-haeng, Kim Sang-heon and the independence general Kim Jwa-jin. Among the main branches below, the Busa-gong, Munchung-gong and Munjeong-gong branches belong to the New Andong Kim, while the Gunsa-gong branch belongs to the Old Andong Kim (Sangnak Kim).

— From Sosan to Jangdong

After founder Kim Seon-pyeong, the New Andong Kim long remained a local gentry family of Andong, rising sharply in the generation of the sons of Bian magistrate Kim Sam-geun. The descendants of Pangwan-gong Kim Gye-gwon produced the Busagong line and the Jangdong Kim, while his brother Kim Gye-haeng became famous as an upright Inspector-General. Kim Beon, son of Kim Gye-gwon's youngest son Kim Yeong-su, topped the 1513 civil examination, served as Pyongyang deputy magistrate and retired to Sosan in Pungsan, Andong.

The brothers Seonwon Kim Sang-yong and Cheongeum Kim Sang-heon, sons of Kim Beon's descendant Kim Geuk-hyo, founded the Munchunggong and Munjeonggong lines. Because they lived in Jangui-dong (Jangdong) below Mount Baegak in Seoul, the family came to be called the Jangdong Kim. Through Chief State Councillor Kim Su-hang, his sons Kim Chang-jip, Kim Chang-hyeop and Kim Chang-heup, and Kim Jo-sun, who became King Sunjo's father-in-law, it became the center of in-law government. The reformer Kim Ok-gyun also came from this family, adopted by his father's cousin Kim Byeong-gi and raised in Seoul.

References: Korean Wikipedia — Old Andong Kim, Namuwiki — New Andong Kim. Lines and generations may differ by lineage record.

Notable Figures

• Kim Seon-pyeong (金宣平) — Founder of the New Andong Kim; helped Wang Geon with Gwon Haeng and Jang Gil at the 930 battle of Gochang (Andong) and was made Daegwang.
• Kim Bang-gyeong (金方慶, 1212–1300) — Restoration ancestor of the Old Andong Kim; late-Goryeo general who led the Sambyeolcho suppression and the expeditions to Japan.
• Kim Sa-hyeong (金士衡, 1341–1407) — Old Andong Kim; first-rank Founding Merit Subject of Joseon and Left State Councillor.
• Kim Gye-haeng (金係行, 1431–1517) — New Andong Kim; incorruptible official who left office after denouncing corrupt ministers under Yeonsangun, known by his pen name Bobaekdang.
• Kim Si-min (金時敏, 1554–1592) — Old Andong Kim; magistrate of Jinju who won the 1592 Battle of Jinju and died for his country.
• Kim Sang-yong (金尙容, 1561–1637) — New Andong Kim; Right State Councillor who blew himself up with gunpowder at the south gate tower when Ganghwa fell in 1637.
• Kim Sang-heon (金尙憲, 1570–1652) — New Andong Kim; Left State Councillor who opposed peace with the Qing and was held captive in Shenyang.
• Kim Su-hang (金壽恒, 1629–1689) — New Andong Kim; Chief State Councillor under King Sukjong and a leader of the Noron faction.
• Kim Chang-hyeop (金昌協, 1651–1708) — New Andong Kim; son of Kim Su-hang and a leading late-Joseon prose writer and scholar.
• Kim Jo-sun (金祖淳, 1765–1832) — New Andong Kim; fourth-generation descendant of Kim Chang-jip who became King Sunjo's father-in-law and opened the era of in-law government.
• Kim Ok-gyun (金玉均, 1851–1894) — New Andong Kim; leading reformer who led the 1884 Gapsin Coup.
• Kim Gu (金九, 1876–1949) — Independence activist known to be of the Old Andong Kim; President of the Korean Provisional Government.
• Kim Jwa-jin (金佐鎭, 1889–1930) — New Andong Kim; commander of the Northern Military Administration Office who led the victory at Cheongsanri.

Clan Villages and Heritage Sites

Taesamyo Shrine, Andong — In Bungmun-dong, Andong, it enshrines the three founders who helped found Goryeo: Kim Seon-pyeong of the New Andong Kim, Gwon Haeng of the Andong Gwon and Jang Jeong-pil of the Andong Jang. Also called the Shrine of the Three Merit Subjects, it was designated a North Gyeongsang Provincial Monument in 1974 and holds relics traditionally dated to early Goryeo.

Sosan Village and Cheongwollu — Sosan in Pungsan-eup, Andong, is a long-standing home of the New Andong Kim. Cheongwollu was the retirement house of Kim Beon, renamed "the pavilion that keeps the Qing far away" by Kim Sang-heon when he returned home after the Manchu war; it was designated a Treasure in 2019.

Mukgye Seowon and Manhyujeong — In Mukgye-ri, Gilan-myeon, Andong, stand Mukgye Seowon (founded 1687) honoring Kim Gye-haeng and Ok Go and the Andong Kim Mukgye head house (a provincial folklore heritage); the pavilion Kim Gye-haeng built in old age and its surroundings are designated a Scenic Site as the Manhyujeong Garden.

Site of Seoksil Seowon and Tomb of Kim Sang-yong — Seoksil Seowon in Namyangju was founded in 1656 for Kim Sang-yong and Kim Sang-heon and chartered in 1663; Kim Su-hang, Kim Chang-hyeop, Kim Chang-heup, Kim Chang-jip and Kim Jo-sun were later added, but it was demolished in 1871. Kim Sang-yong's tomb is in Deokso-ri, Wabu-eup, Namyangju, a Gyeonggi Provincial Monument.

Tomb of Kim Bang-gyeong — In Jugsong-ri, Nokjeon-myeon, Andong. In addition, the Andong Kim-ssi Seongbo, a woodblock genealogy printed around 1580, is a Daejeon tangible heritage and an important example of early-Joseon jokbo format.

Branch lines and genealogical succession can differ by lineage group and jokbo, so please check against your own family genealogy.

Main branches (派)

Busa-gong-pa (Suwon-gong-pa), Munchung-gong-pa, Munjeong-gong-pa, Gunsa-gong-pa

Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.

Notable figures

김선평(founder of the New Andong Kim; one of the Three Grand Preceptors), 김방경(Goryeo general), 김사형(Old Andong Kim; Joseon founding merit subject and Left State Councillor), 김계행(New Andong Kim; incorruptible official Bobaekdang), 김시민(Old Andong Kim; victor of the Battle of Jinju), 김상용(New Andong Kim; Right State Councillor martyred in 1637), 김상헌(Joseon civil official), 김수항(New Andong Kim; Chief State Councillor under Sukjong), 김창협(New Andong Kim; late-Joseon scholar), 김조순(New Andong Kim; father-in-law of King Sunjo), 김옥균(New Andong Kim; leader of the Gapsin Coup), 김구(independence activist; President of the Provisional Government), 김좌진(independence activist)

Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).

안동 김씨 — Independence patriots

안동 김씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.

안동 김씨 — Pro-Japanese collaborators

안동 김씨 figures listed by the Presidential Committee or the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators (Minjok Munje Institute).

The Three Grand Masters of Andong and In-Law Politics

Kim Seon-pyeong, founder of the New Andong Kim clan, is revered, together with Kwon Haeng and Jang Jeong-pil, as one of the Three Grand Masters (三太師) of Andong for his merit in helping Wang Geon defeat Later Baekje. In the late Joseon period, figures who led the in-law politics (sedo) of the reigns from Sunjo to Cheoljong came from this New Andong Kim clan (the so-called Jangdong Kim), and Kim Sang-heon, the loyal subject of the Byeongja War, also belonged to this line.

Related Videos

How to build your 안동 김씨 tree

1. Start with yourself — sign in to get your own tree. Enter your name, birth year and clan seat (안동).
2. Add older generations — add parents and grandparents. For accuracy see tracing ancestors with jejeok records (usually to about 5 generations).
3. Link siblings & children — sort by generational name (hangnyeol) to see each generation at a glance.
4. Export & share — save the finished tree as a PDF and invite family to manage it together.

Related reading

안동 김씨 clan association

🔗 안동김씨대종회

For other branch associations, see the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.