Sixteenth king of Silla (Heulhae Isageum), the last Seok king, said to have begun the Byeokgolji reservoir
| Life | 미상 ~ 356 |
| Era | 삼국시대 신라 |
| Clan | 경주 석씨 |
Seok Heulhae (?-356) was the sixteenth king of Silla (Heulhae Isageum, r. 310-356) and the last Seok to hold the throne. A grandson of Naehae Isageum, he is said to be the son of the gakgan Seok U-ro and Lady Myeongwon, daughter of Jobun Isageum. His birth is estimated at 249 or 253, but this would make him implausibly old at his accession in 310, and the point is disputed.
In 311 he named Geumni Achan and in 314 raised him to Ichan. During the drought of 317-318 he freed prisoners, banned forced labor and promoted farming, and in 330 water began to be drawn into the Byeokgolji reservoir.
His dealings with the Wae are recorded. In 312 he sent Geumni's daughter in answer to the Wae king's marriage request, but in 344 he declined a Wae princess's marriage request on the ground that he was already married, and the Wae broke relations in 345. When Wae forces besieged Geumseong in 346, Silla held the fortress and drove them off with cavalry as they withdrew. He died in the fourth month of 356 and was succeeded by Naemul Maripgan.
He is said to be U-ro's son, but U-ro died in 249 or 253, so accession in 310 would put him past sixty. Some therefore hold he was a later descendant. Either way he was the last king of the Seok line.
In the drought of 317-318 he freed prisoners and stopped corvée labor, and in 330 water began to be drawn into Byeokgolji. Relations with the Wae grew close through a marriage in 312, but his refusal of a marriage in 344 led to a break in 345, and in 346 Wae forces besieged Geumseong and were repelled.
A tomb said to be his stands in Daeseok village at the foot of Cheonseongsan in North Gyeongsang, but Wikipedia's list of Silla royal tombs classes his tomb as unlocated.
He is said to have had a princess and Seok Gong-han with his queen Gonghan. After Heulhae the throne passed to the Kim line under Naemul Maripgan.