의성 김씨(義城 金氏) — A surname said to take as its founder Kim Seok, son of King Gyeongsun of Silla.
A surname said to take as its founder Kim Seok, son of King Gyeongsun of Silla. In the 2015 Census the 의성 김씨 clan numbered about 287,469 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 김, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 의성) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Uiseong Kim clan (義城 金氏) takes its seat from Uiseong County in North Gyeongsang Province. Because Uiseong was called Munso (聞韶) in Silla, it is also known as the Munso Kim clan; the 2015 census counted about 287,469 members, making it one of Yeongnam's major Kim lineages. It is distinct from the Andong Kim, Gimhae Kim (descendants of King Suro of Gaya) and Gyeongju Kim clans despite the shared surname: seat and founder differ, so they should not be mixed up. Like the Gyeongju Kim, it is generally traced back to the Silla royal Kim line (Kim Al-ji) in the remote past.
The founder is Kim Seok (金錫), said to be a son of King Gyeongsun, the 56th ruler of Silla, and Princess Nangnang, daughter of Goryeo's founder Wang Geon, enfeoffed as Lord Uiseong. Wikipedia and other sources point out, however, that this lineage rests on the late-Joseon "epitaph of Kim Eun-yeol" and that several of Gyeongsun's sons cannot be confirmed in the Goryeosa or inscriptions; the use of "Uiseong" as a seat is clearly attested only from about the time of Kim Yong-bi. The earliest generations should therefore be read as "traditionally held", and checked against your own jokbo.
The line is said to have divided in the generation of Kim Seok's grandsons Kim In-sul and Kim Hong-sul. The three sons of the eighth-generation Kim Gong-u — Kim Yong-bi, Kim Yong-pil and Kim Yong-ju — founded the Cheomsa-gong, Susa-gong and Chungui-gong branches, the clan's main trunks, with the Chanseongsa-gong, Seollyak Janggun-gong and Chamuigong branches added. Names and founders vary somewhat by source.
From late Goryeo into early Joseon the family spread over inland Yeongnam: Andong (some say first around Pungsan), Uiseong, Seongju, Goryeong and Yeongcheon. Descendants of Kim Ji-seon of the Chungui-gong branch flourished around Seolseong in Uiseong, which is also the seat of a separate Seolseong Kim clan.
Cheomsa-gong-pa, Susa-gong-pa, Chungui-gong-pa, Chanseongsa-gong-pa, Seollyak Janggun-gong-pa, Chamuigong-pa
The Cheomsa-gong branch descends from Kim Yong-bi (金龍庇), eldest son of the eighth-generation Kim Gong-u (金公瑀), who served as an official of the crown prince's household (taeja cheomsa). He is said to have been enfeoffed as Prince of Uiseong for subduing bandits around Uiseong during Goryeo, though the dating is disputed; Wikipedia notes that the seat name "Uiseong" appears clearly in the histories only from about his time. His grave is said to be on Mount Oto in Tohyeon-ri, Sagok-myeon, Uiseong.
His son Kim Geo-du (金居斗) moved to Andong (some accounts say Pungsan). The line settled at Naeap (Cheonjeon) and Geumgye and produced Kim Seong-il (Hakbong) and Kim U-ong (Donggang). Kim Yeong-ryeol (金英烈), enfeoffed as Prince of Uiseong in early Joseon, also belongs to this branch.
Sub-branches are given as Sangseo-gong, Pyeongjangsa-gong, Yangso-gong, Nampa-gong and Champan-gong. The head house at Naeap (Treasure No. 450) and the Hakbong Head House at Geumgye are associated with this line, but please confirm sub-branch membership in your own jokbo.
The Susa-gong branch descends from Kim Yong-pil (金龍弼), the second son of Kim Gong-u, who held the title of acting minister of works (su sagong). Some sources write Susagong-gong-pa.
The scholar Kim An-guk (Mojae) of King Jungjong's reign and his younger brother Kim Jeong-guk (Sajae) are said to come from this line; sub-branches include the Eosa-gong branch of Kim Yun-gwan (金允寛). The brothers are known as Sarim scholars who spread the Sohak and village compacts. Several people named Kim Jeong-guk exist on this site, so do not confuse the scholar with the later independence activists.
The Chungui-gong branch descends from Kim Yong-ju (金龍珠), the youngest son of Kim Gong-u, who served as a chancellery official (pyeongjangsa).
Its sub-branches include the Munwon-gong branch of the general Kim Won (金源). Kim Ji-seon, a great-grandson of Kim Yong-ju and a Bomungak academician, is said to have settled at Seolseong, where his descendants flourished.
The Chanseongsa-gong branch belongs to the line of Kim Hong-sul (金弘術), a grandson of the founder Kim Seok, and is said to take Kim Gyeong-yeom (金景琰), a fifth-generation descendant and grandson of Kim Hong-sul, as its founder.
The name comes from Kim Seong-dan (金成丹), a descendant in this line who served as a chancellery minister (munha chanseongsa) in late Goryeo, and some sources treat him as the branch founder. He is said to have retired to Uiseong after the fall of Goryeo.
The Seollyak Janggun-gong branch is said to descend from the line of Kim In-sul (金仁術), a grandson of the founder Kim Seok.
The Uiseong Kim first divided in the generation of Kim Seok's grandsons Kim In-sul and Kim Hong-sul, and this branch is the line of Kim In-sul's descendants. Some sources name Kim Heung (金興) as its founder.
Chamuigong-pa (參議公派) is said to be a line founded by Kim Yong-gi (金用起), 13th generation, grandson of Kim Su-deok (金修德, the Pansa-gong) among the descendants of the founder Kim Seok. Some genealogies instead trace it to the 13th-generation Yong-cho/Yong-gi line, the third son of the 12th-generation Su-deok, so the founder and generation differ between sources.
The clan settled mainly across Yeongnam, including Wolsan-ri in Unsu-myeon, Goryeong County, North Gyeongsang Province, where the descendants' ancestral lodge, Woram-jae (月巖齋), has been preserved. Some people also call the branch Samuigong-pa or Sanguigong-pa, so it can be found in search under those names as well. Please confirm membership and lineage in your own family's jokbo.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
김석(founder of the Uiseong Kim clan), 김성일(Hakbong; Joseon civil official), 김우옹(Donggang; Joseon scholar), 김안국(Joseon scholar), 김창숙(independence activist; Confucian scholar), 김동삼(independence activist), 김대락(independence activist), 김도화(righteous army; independence honoree), 김흥락(Hakbong descendant; Andong Confucian scholar)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
의성 김씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
The place most associated with the clan is Naeap village in Cheonjeon-ri, Imha-myeon, Andong, where the Uiseong Kim have lived for over six hundred years. Tradition says Kim Man-geun settled there following his wife's family (sources differ on which Oh family), and his grandson Cheonggye Kim Jin (金璡, 1500–1580) is regarded as the village's restorer. Passing the sama exam in 1525, Kim Jin devoted himself to teaching his children rather than office; his five sons became known as "the house of the five dragons". Among them Hakbong Kim Seong-il became Toegye's leading disciple, and Kim Su-il (金守一, 1528–1583; his pen name is written Gubong or Gwibong depending on the source) built Baegun-jeong pavilion in 1568 on land given by his father.
The village holds the head house of the clan, the Uiseong Kim Head House in Andong (Treasure No. 450, designated 1967), and the "small head house" of the Kim Su-il line. The house, with its separate sarangchae, anchae and haengnangchae, is said to have been rebuilt by Kim Seong-il after it burned in the Imjin War. Baegun-jeong and the Gaehosong pine grove (planted by Kim Man-geun around the reign of Seongjong, lost in the flood of 1605 and replanted) were designated a Scenic Site in December 2007. Parts of the village were submerged by the Imha Dam. Kim Dong-sam's birthplace and the Andong Independence Movement Memorial Hall are also here. Please check designation numbers with the Korea Heritage Service.
The Hakbong Head House (義城金氏 鶴峰宗宅) in Geumgye-ri, Seohu-myeon, Andong is a separate house, maintained by Kim Seong-il's descendants.
The clan produced many civil-service graduates in Joseon. Kim Seong-il returned from Japan in 1590 as deputy envoy with a report differing from that of chief envoy Hwang Yun-gil, and in the Imjin War, as pacification commissioner, rallied righteous armies and died of illness while urging the defense of Jinju. Kim U-ong (Donggang) of Seongju, a disciple of Jo Sik, rose to vice-minister of personnel, while Kim An-guk and his brother Kim Jeong-guk worked on spreading the Sohak and village compacts. Hakbong's school continued through descendants such as Kim Heung-rak, the centre of Andong Confucian circles in the late Joseon.
The clan is often counted among the surnames with the most recognised independence activists; records speak of some twenty from Naeap alone, though counts vary. Baekha Kim Dae-rak (1845–1915) led his family to western Manchuria in 1911 and helped build the independence base there; Ilsong Kim Dong-sam (1878–1937) helped found Hyeopdong School in Andong in 1907 with Yi Sang-ryong and Yu In-sik, then went into exile and became known as the "Tiger of the Manchurian Plain". Yi Sang-ryong's wife Kim U-rak was also of this house. Simsan Kim Chang-suk (1879–1962) of Seongju led the Paris Long Letter appeal and helped found Sungkyunkwan University. Kim Do-hwa and others were honoured for righteous-army activity. Several Kim Jeong-guk exist in the clan, so check dates and roles.
About 287,469 people in 2015. Villages are concentrated in Andong, Yeongju, Yeongcheon, Uiseong, Seongju, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Goryeong, with many descendants now in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chungcheong. Commonly mentioned places: Naeap and Geumgye in Andong, Tohyeon-ri in Sagok-myeon, Uiseong (Mount Oto, said to hold Kim Yong-bi's grave), and Wolsan-ri in Goryeong (Woram-jae of the Chamuigong branch).
Branch associations are active, and a national body is understood to operate under a name such as the Uiseong Kim Daejonghoe; we could not verify an official website or contact, so please ask through your branch elders. Wikipedia lists a common generation-name table for generations 31–44, but the table is garbled and is not reproduced here; follow your own jokbo.
Check the seat (義城), branch and founder (Kim Seok). The Andong Kim and Gimhae Kim have different founders, and similarly named seats such as Seolseong Kim and Gwangju Kim exist.
YouTube videos (in Korean) introducing the clan's independence activists, scholar brothers, and clan origins.
Reference: Wikipedia, the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture entry on Baegun-jeong, regional press. Branches and lineages may vary by genealogy.
The 의성 김씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
✍ Request additions / corrections to the 의성 김씨 family tree infoStart your family tree free →