Silla general and Seobulhan, said to be a son of Naehae Isageum, who died over a remark made to a Wae envoy
| Life | 미상 ~ 253 |
| Era | 삼국시대 신라 |
| Clan | 경주 석씨 |
Seok U-ro (?-253) was an early Silla general and minister. He is said to be a son of Naehae Isageum, though another view makes him a son of the gakgan Suro. His wife Lady Myeongwon was a daughter of Jobun Isageum.
Under Jobun, as Ichan and grand general, he annexed Gammun-guk in 231 and repelled a Wae invasion in 233 by fire at Sado. He became Seobulhan in 242 to run military affairs and around 245 held Madu fortress against Goguryeo. Under Cheomhae he is said to have put down Sabeol-guk (Saryangbeol), which had gone over to Baekje, and conquered neighboring small states.
The Samguk sagi gives his death thus: entertaining the Wae envoy Gallnago, he joked that he would make the Wae king a salt-boiling slave; the enraged Wae invaded, and U-ro went to explain but was seized and burned to death. His death is dated 249 or 253 depending on the source.
In 231, on Jobun Isageum's order, he annexed Gammun-guk (around present-day Gaeryeong, Gimcheon), and in the seventh month of 233 he won a great victory over the Wae at Sado with fire. He became Seobulhan in 242 and held Madu fortress around 245 against Goguryeo. Under Cheomhae he is said to have crushed Sabeol-guk and conquered eight neighboring small states with it.
The incident is placed in the seventh year of Cheomhae Isageum (253), and a joke made to the Wae envoy Gallnago is said to have been the cause. The Samguk sagi also records the same event under the third year, summer 249, so the dating differs. Stories of lasting enmity with the Wae after his execution are told in later tradition.
Heulhae Isageum is said to have been born to him and Lady Myeongwon. But if Heulhae was an infant when U-ro died, he would have been implausibly old at his accession in 310, so the father-son link is questioned.
His grave is not known.
His son Heulhae is said to have become the sixteenth king, Heulhae Isageum. However, Heulhae's age and reign dates do not fit, and some hold he was a later descendant rather than a son.