Munjamyeong of Goguryeo

Who was Munjamyeong of Goguryeo?

King Munja of Goguryeo was the 21st monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the grandson of King Jangsu. Though Munja's father Gochudaega Joda had been named Crown Prince by King Jangsu, Joda died before assuming the throne.

By the time Munja assumed the throne in 491, Goguryeo had relocated its capital from the area around modern Ji'an along the upper Yalu River to P'yongyang. This move came in the context of heightened rivalries with the other two of the Three Kingdoms, the then-allied Silla and Baekje.

Munja nurtured close relations with the various petty Chinese dynasties that had emerged following the fall of the Han, notably the Wei, Qi, and Liang, accepting feudal titles from them, while continuing a policy of aggressive confrontation with both Baekje and Silla to its south.

The 12th century Korean history the Samguk Sagi relates that the remnants of the Buyeo state submitted to Goguryeo in 494 after their defeat by the Malgal. By the early 6th century Goguryeo under Munjamyeong was feeling the pressure of Malgal, Silla and Baekje aggression.