부여융 扶餘隆
Son of King Uija of Baekje, honored as founder by the Buyeo Seo clan and appointed Governor of Ungjin under Tang China
| Life | 615 ~ 682 |
| Era | 백제 말기 ~ 당 시기 |
| Clan | 부여 서씨 |
Life & career
Buyeo Yung (615-682) was a Baekje prince and Tang general whom the Buyeo Seo clan honors as founder. He was a son of King Uija; he visited Emperor Taizong as a tribute envoy in 637 and is said to have been made crown prince in 644, replaced late in Uija's reign by Buyeo Hyo. Chinese sources call the crown prince who fled to Ungjin by the name Yung, so the facts are unclear, and whether he was the last crown prince is debated.
When Silla-Tang forces besieged Sabi in July 660 he fled to Ungjin with the king and surrendered. In September Su Dingfang took King Uija, Yung and over 10,000 royals, officials and people to Luoyang, and Emperor Gaozong appointed him Minister of Agriculture. In 663 he was sent with Sun Renshi, leading the navy and supply ships at the Battle of Baekgang against the Baekje restoration army.
In 664 he became Governor of Ungjin and Duke of Baekje, ruling Baekje survivors; in 665 he swore a peace pact with Silla at Chwiri Mountain, but the governorate was later driven off the peninsula by Silla. He died in 682. His record is judged negatively for ruling survivors and putting down the restoration movement, though some see him as simply carrying out Tang policy.
The clan's registers say Emperor Gaozong granted him the surname Seo; scholars say this cannot be confirmed, and an excavated epitaph is explained as keeping the surname Buyeo, so sources differ. Many nonetheless find it plausible that royals changed surnames after the fall to hide their identity.
Disputes Over the Crown Prince
If the Samguk Sagi is preferred, Hyo was crown prince throughout; if Chinese sources are, Yung was prince in 644 and replaced by Hyo. Views differ on whether he was Uija's eldest or third or later son.
Fall of Baekje and Luoyang
When Sabi was besieged in 660 he went to Ungjin with the king and was taken to Luoyang that autumn. A record says Kim Beop-min (later King Munmu) spat in his face, blamed on the death of Beop-min's sister at Daeya Fortress in 642.
Governor of Ungjin
He became Governor in 664 and made peace with Silla at the 665 Chwiri Mountain alliance; his later career continued in Tang territory and he died in 682. His recorded sons include Buyeo Munsa and Buyeo Deokjang.
Relation to the Buyeo Seo
He is the clan's traditional founder, but the register continues with Seo Jon, a Goryeo minister of military affairs, as first-generation ancestor, so the generations between them are unknown. The Icheon Seo's own registers also treat the Icheon Seo line as distinct.
Grave
His tomb location was not confirmed in this research.