Sondok

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Sondok (610 – 647) was the first woman to become queen of Korea in her own right. Her mother had no sons so when her father, King Chinpyong, died in 632 she became queen because she was the eldest daughter of two other daughters and in A.D. 634 she became queen. She ruled the Silla Kingdom for 14 years and in that time used the method, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", and became allied with the T'ang Dynasty in China. Sondok created the famous Chonsongdae, astrology observation center. Chonsongdae had 365 stones, one for each day of the year, was 27 stories high because she was the 27 ruler of the Silla Dynasty, and the platform on which it was built had 12 tiles for each month; it is still standing today.