A History of Korea (18 page)

What is equally remarkable about this historical account is that the twelfth-century compiler of the
History of the Three Kingdoms
, Kim Pusik, was a Confucian scholar-official who disdained the idea of a female ruler. In addition to other details suggesting that the Tang emperor’s proposals provoked political intrigue among S
nd
k’s opponents in the Silla elite, the
History of the Three Kingdoms
’ account of Queen S
nd
k’s reign concludes with commentary that support the Tang emperor’s proposal: “According to heavenly principles, the
yang
[male] is hard while the
yin
[female] is soft; and people know that men are to be revered and women are subordinate. So how could Silla have allowed an old maid to leave her inner sanctum in order to govern the country’s affairs? Silla allowed her to ascend to become the king, and sure enough chaos ensued. How fortunate that the country did not get destroyed!”

Not only did the country avoid destruction, but it might have been S
nd
k’s accomplishments, including her patronage of science and technology as well as her savvy in cultivating Sillan statecraft, that saved the kingdom in the face of its imminent demise. That this might even have contributed to Silla’s ultimate triumph on the peninsula is an irony that seems to have escaped Kim Pusik, himself a descendant of the Silla aristocracy, in his Confucian critique. But these tantalizing signs of S
nd
k’s prowess, however scarce the reliable historical details, have worked in a way that reverses the traditional historical perspective. Today Queen S
nd
k, like the Silla unification, Kim Yusin, and other venerable relics of ancient Korea, is being reevaluated and freely appropriated by Koreans in reconsidering their identity and heritage. In reimaginings reflected in popular culture, Queen S
nd
k today often serves as a paragon of female virtue, a great symbol of a time when Korea, unsullied by Chinese and other external influences, stayed true to itself and held (some) women in high esteem.

3

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The Unified Silla Kingdom

CHRONOLOGY

668	Beginning of the Unified Silla kingdom
828	Appointment of Chang Pogo as head of Ch’ nghaejin Fortress
836	Kim Ujing, a prince in the Silla Court, gains protection from Chang
838	With Chang’s assistance, Kim Ujing ascends to Silla throne
845	Chang’s attempt to arrange a marriage between his daughter and the Silla king
846	Assassination of Chang Pogo
857	Birth of Ch’oe Ch’iw n
869	Beginning of Ch’oe’s study in Tang dynasty China
885	Ch’oe’s return to Silla