Jeongjong, 3rd Monarch of Goryeo

Who was Jeongjong, 3rd Monarch of Goryeo?

Jeonjong of Goryeo was the third monarch of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Taejo, the founder of the kingdom, and was born more than a decade before Goryeo was formally established. His mother was the daughter of a noble from the Chungju region, Yu Geung-dal.

Jeongjong rose to the throne after his half-brother King Hyejong, and set to reducing the power of various royal in-laws, including Wang Gyu and Pak Sul-hui. However, lacking the support of the Gaegyeong elites, he was unable to substantially strengthen the throne.

In 946, he spent 70,000 sacks of grain from the royal storehouses to support Buddhism in the country. In 947, he had the fortress of Pyongyang constructed as the country's Western Capital. He sought to move the capital from Gaegyeong to there, but was not successful.