Asin of Baekje
Encyclopedia
Asin of Baekje (r. 392–405) was the 17th king of Baekje
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....

, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...

.

Background

Buyeo Abang was the eldest son of Baekje's 15th ruler Chimnyu
Chimnyu of Baekje
Chimnyu of Baekje was the 15th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the eldest son of Geungusu of Baekje and Lady Ai. He was the first Baekje king to officially recognize Buddhism....

, and ascended to the throne after the death of Chimnyu’s brother, the 16th king Jinsa
Jinsa of Baekje
Jinsa of Baekje was the 16th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.He was the younger brother of the previous ruler, King Chimnyu. According to the Samguk Sagi, he ascended to the throne because the heir, later King Asin, was too young...

, of whom he is said to have killed.

Reign

During his reign, Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

 forces under Emperor Gwanggaeto the Great
Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo
Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo was the nineteenth monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. His full posthumous name roughly means "Very Greatest King, Broad Expander of Territory, buried in Gukgangsang.", sometimes abbreviated to Hotaewang or Taewang...

 steadily pushed into Baekje from the north. Asin appointed his maternal uncle Jin Mu as chief general and ordered him to attack Goguryeo repeatedly in the early 390s, but each attack was defeated. In 395, after a failed attack by Baekje, Goguryeo took Baekje's territory around today's northern Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

.

Asin sought to strengthen Baekje’s position against Goguryeo, sending his son Jeonji
Jeonji of Baekje
Jeonji of Baekje was the 18th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.As the eldest son, he was confirmed as successor to King Asin, in 394. His queen was Lady Palsu of the Hae clan....

 to the Wa kingdom of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 as a ward to cement Baekje’s alliance with that country in 397. In 398, according to the Samguk Sagi
Samguk Sagi
Samguk Sagi is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The Samguk Sagi is written in Classical Chinese and its compilation was ordered by Goryeo's King Injong Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of...

, he constructed Ssanghyeon Castle to protect Baekje’s remaining territory north of the Han River
Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...

. In 399, during another round of conscription for the battles against Goguryeo, many peasants are said to have fled to Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

. In 403 he attacked Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

. Historical records do not show any contacts with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

during Asin's rule.

Death

King Asin died during the year 405, and watched desperately as his once-powerful kingdom was falling slowly to its powerful northern neighbor Goguryeo.
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