Mobon of Goguryeo

5th King of Goguryeo Korea (r. 32–44)

Mobon of Goguryeo
Crown Prince of Goguryeo
Reign	AD 32–44
Predecessor	Crown Prince Muhyul
Successor	Crown Prince Nammu
King of Goguryeo
Reign	AD 48–53
Predecessor	King Minjung^[1]
Successor	King Taejo

Born	Hae-u / Hae Aeru 30 AD?
Died	53 AD
Burial	Mobonwon (모본원, 慕本原)
Issue	Prince Ik (익, 翊)
House	House of Go
Father	Daemusin of Goguryeo
Mother	Primary Consort

Korean name
Hangul	모본왕
Hanja	慕本王
Revised Romanization	Mobon-wang
McCune–Reischauer	Mopon-wang
Birth name
Hangul	해우, 애루, or 막래
Hanja	解憂, 愛婁, or 莫來
Revised Romanization	Haeu, Aeru, Haeaewu, or Mangnae
McCune–Reischauer	Haeu, Aeru, or Makrae

Goguryeo
Monarchs of Korea
Chumo c. 37–19 BC Yuri 19 BC–18 AD Daemusin 18–44 Minjung 44–48 Mobon 48–53 Taejodae 53–146 Chadae 146–165 Sindae 165–179 Gogukcheon 179–197 Sansang 197–227 Dongcheon 227–248 Jungcheon 248–270 Seocheon 270–292 Bongsang 292–300 Micheon 300–331 Gogugwon 331–371 Sosurim 371–384 Gogugyang 384–391 Gwanggaeto the Great 391–413 Jangsu 413–491 Munja 491–519 Anjang 519–531 Anwon 531–545 Yangwon 545–559 Pyeongwon 559–590 Yeongyang 590–618 Yeongnyu 618–642 Bojang 642–668
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King Mobon (30–53, r. 48–53) was the fifth king of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Background and reign

According to the Samguk Sagi, a 12th-century Korean history of the Three Kingdoms, Mobon was the eldest son of Goguryeo's third king Daemusin. Although Mobon was the crown prince at the time of Daemusin's death, because of Mobon's youth, Daemusin's younger brother Minjung ascended to the throne. Mobon became king upon Minjung's death. However, in the Samguk Yusa, Mobon is described as Minjung's older brother.

The Samguk Sagi notes that Mobon's character was fierce and stubborn, and he incurred the resentment of the common people. In 49, he attacked the Beiping, Yuyang, Shanggu, and Taiyuan commanderies of Han Dynasty, several times, but later signed a treaty with Han.

He was killed by a court official named Duro, from Mobon. He was buried in Mobon-won.

He named his son Ik the crown prince, but upon Mobon's death, there was a power struggle for the throne. Some scholars believe that Mobon was the last of the Hae surname line that began with Goguryeo's second king Yuri, and the sixth king Taejo began the Go surname lineage (then retroactively attributing the Go surname to the founding monarch Jumong).

Controversy surrounding later reign

Many of the main Korean sources, such as the Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, state that King Mobon was a great king who thought for his people initially, but turned into a ruthless tyrant in the later part of his reign. However, in observing the events that are mentioned in the same Korean sources, such things as the opening of all food storages to relieve the people of their hunger and destitution and the expansion of territories are mentioned, which are not acts that are characteristic of a tyrant. With this in mind, some scholars suspect that the records and public image of King Mobon may have been an attempt by the supporters of Taejo of Goguryeo to justify their coup de'tat. These scholars further support the idea that the difference in last names in the early Goguryeo rulers is due to a shift in power among the Five Noble Families.