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Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms)
1145 (compiled by Kim Bu-sik)· Book, artwork, monument or document· Culture, religion & science
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Korea's oldest surviving history book, compiled in 1145 by Kim Bu-sik, covering Silla, Goguryeo and Baekje.
See it on the Korean History map →What happened
The Samguk sagi (삼국사기) was compiled by a team under Kim Bu-sik, a senior Confucian official, on King Injong's order. Its 50 volumes, in Classical Chinese and modeled on China's Records of the Grand Historian, hold royal annals for each kingdom, chronological tables, treatises on rites, music, geography and offices, and biographies of notable people. Kim drew on older Korean and Chinese records now lost, and added his own Confucian comments on rulers' conduct.
Why it matters
Most of what is known about Three Kingdoms rulers, wars and dates rests on it; without it the period would survive mainly through Chinese eyes.
How we know
Printed copies survive, the oldest complete set from 1512. Its accounts can be checked against Chinese histories, inscriptions and excavations, which often confirm and sometimes contradict it.
Still debated
How reliable its early centuries are, including the traditional founding dates of 57, 37 and 18 BC, is debated.
Connections (3)
▸Samguk yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) added myths and legends left out of Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms)Well documented
The connection
Kim Bu-sik, a Confucian, left out much he thought unreliable. A century later the monk Iryeon gathered what remained: the Dangun myth, Gaya's founding, Buddhist miracles, temple legends and Korean-language songs. The title Yusa, 'remaining matters,' signals a supplement, and Iryeon often notes where the 'national history' differs.
When and how
1145 (Samguk sagi) and about 1281 (Samguk yusa); Kim Bu-sik at the court in Kaesong, Iryeon in Gyeongsang temples.
How we know
Comparing the two texts shows what Iryeon added; he cites the official history and points out disagreements.
Debates and open questions
Whether Iryeon meant a deliberate counterweight to Kim Bu-sik's Confucian, Silla-centered view, or simply a Buddhist collection, is debated.
▸Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is the oldest surviving Korean history of GoguryeoWell documented
The connection
Goguryeo's own histories, such as the Yugi and the Sinjip of 600, are lost. The Samguk sagi's ten volumes of Goguryeo annals, plus biographies such as those of Eulji Mundeok and Yeon Gaesomun, are the fullest Korean account of the kingdom, blending lost Korean records with Chinese histories.
When and how
Compiled in 1145 at Kaesong by Kim Bu-sik's team, more than four centuries after Goguryeo fell in 668.
How we know
Its Goguryeo entries often match Chinese dynastic histories and the Gwanggaeto Stele, though they also differ in places.
Debates and open questions
How much of the Goguryeo annals comes from lost Goguryeo records rather than Chinese sources, and how reliable its early reigns are.
▸Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is often criticized for favoring SillaMostly agreed
The connection
Kim Bu-sik, a descendant of Silla's royal family, gave Silla the earliest founding date (57 BC), the most annals (12 volumes against 10 for Goguryeo and 6 for Baekje) and treated it as the legitimate line. Kim Yu-sin's biography alone fills three of the ten biography volumes.
When and how
1145, at the Goryeo court in Kaesong, under Kim Bu-sik, who belonged to the Gyeongju Kim lineage.
How sure are we?
The volume counts and comments are in the text. Critics from the 20th-century historian Shin Chae-ho onward have pointed to its Silla-centered and pro-China slant.
Debates and open questions
Defenders note that Silla's records survived best because it lasted longest, and that Kim also honored Goguryeo and Baekje heroes; how deliberate the bias was is debated.