geom mojam

colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFCCCC" \| Geom Mojam
colspan="2" \| Korean Name
width="150" \| Revised Romanization	width="150" \| Geom Mojam
width="150" \| McCune-Reischauer	width="150" \| Kŏm Mojam
width="150" \| Hangul	width="150" \| 검모잠
width="150" \| Hanja	width="150" \| 劍牟岑

Geom Mojam (?-672) was the military leader of a short-lived movement to restore Goguryeo after its fall to Silla in the later 7th century CE. After the kingdom fell to Tang and Silla in 668, he kindled an opposition movement in the Taedong River valley and in 670 established Anseung (안승) as the new King of Goguryeo. Anseung is believed to have been the illegitimate son of King Bojang, the last ruler of the kingdom. The capital was set up in modern-day Chaeryŏng-gun, South Hwanghae, North Korea. The rebellion is briefly described in the Samguk Sagi, Goguryeo Book 10. Geom's birthplace is given as Surimseong (수림성, 水臨城), but his date of birth is unknown. A military official, he had reached the rank of daehyeong (대형, 大兄), seventh among the 14 ranks of Goguryeo officialdom. After placing Anseung on the throne, Geom sent emissaries to Silla seeking aid and recognition. Silla at this time was struggling to avoid being absorbed into the Tang empire through the Protectorate-General to Pacify the East (安東都護府), a military government which Tang had established on the peninsula after the fall of Baekje and Goguryeo. Therefore, Silla eagerly sent an embassy recognizing Anseung as the legitimate King of Goguryeo and offering an alliance. In 672, as their kingdom faced a massive Tang assault, relations between Geom and Anseung deteriorated. Geom was assassinated at the behest of Anseung, who fled to Silla and later ruled the short-lived Bodeok kingdom based in Iksan. Geom's struggle is comparable to that of the Baekje leader Boksin, who led a similarly ill-fated attempt to restore the Baekje state a decade before. It can also be viewed as preparing the way for the Goguryeo diaspora described in http://www.korea.net/news/news/newsView.asp?serial_no=20040303016&part=111.

Geom Mojam

See also