Seongjong of Goryeo

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Seongjong (born Wang Chi) was the sixth king of the Goryeo dynasty in Korea. He ruled from 981 to 997. He was born on January 15, 961, the son of Daejong and the grandson of Taejo, the founder of Goryeo. He became king after his cousin Gyeongjong died in 981.

At first, Seongjong did not try to remove power from the local lords. He even married a woman from the Silla royal clan to keep peace with former Silla supporters.

In 982 he began a Confucian-style government, following a proposal by the scholar Ch’oe Sŭng-no. He worked to centralize power and to take private weapons and turn them into farming tools. He created a system of twelve administrative districts (mok) in 983 and sent educated officials to these districts to run schools and government. He also promoted talented sons of the aristocracy to pass civil service exams and serve in the capital.

In 995, Korea was divided into ten provinces, a structure that helped shape the country’s later administration.

In 993, Khitan forces attacked Goryeo. Seongjong quickly mobilized the military and even traveled from the capital to Pyongyang to direct defense. The Khitan army advanced along the Yalu River, but Goryeo resisted stubbornly. Through diplomacy led by minister Sŏ Hŭi, Goryeo argued that Balhae belonged to it and resisted outright demands for vassalage to the Khitan emperor. The Khitans withdrew, ceding territory east of the Yalu to Goryeo, while Goryeo ended its alliance with Song but kept some ties. The Khitan campaigns against Goryeo continued for years afterward, and the northern frontier remained tense.

Seongjong died in November 997 and was succeeded by his nephew Mokjong.