Kim Bu-sik

This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.
Kim Bu-sik
Hangul 김부식
Hanja 金富軾
Revised Romanization Gim Busik
McCune–Reischauer Kim Pusik
Pen name
Hangul 뇌천
Hanja 雷川
Revised Romanization Noecheon
McCune–Reischauer Noech'ŏn
Courtesy name
Hangul 입지
Hanja 立之
Revised Romanization Ipji
McCune–Reischauer Ipchi

Kim Bu-sik (1075–1151) was an official and a scholar during Korea's Goryeo period. He is best known for compiling the Samguk Sagi, the oldest extant record of Korean history.

Kim Bu-sik was born in 1075 in the city of Gyeongju, Goryeo. He was the fourth son of Kim Kun. Kim Bu-sik was also the great-grandson of Kim Wi-yeong, who submitted to the Goryeo Dynasty that replaced Unified Silla, becoming the governor of Gyeongju Province. Kim Bu-sik's father and three brothers were also officials of the Goryeo court. In the childhood he was well known as one of the most brilliant children in the town including his brothers.

Kim Bu-sik passed the governmental test in order to become a politician in the year of 1096. Even after he became a politician, he has passed more governmental tests to accomplish a higher position in the government. While he was a politician, he taught the prince and princesses on Confucianism. He often suggested Juyeok. Juyeok is a Korean philosophy on how to eliminate any possible bad energies, and bring a good fortune and realistic solutions into Korea. Although he was a practicing Buddhist, and he supported Confucianism over Buddhism as the guiding principle of governance.

In 1121 Kim Bu-sik was appointed as Royal Diarist, or ji, to the court of Emperor Yejong. In 1123, along with two other historians, was charged with preparing Yejong's Annals (Sillok). In 1135, when the rebellion led by Myocheong who was a monk, went against his views the king embraced to rule the country of Goryeo. Kim Bu-sik suppressed the rebellion by using his own military strategy. With this accomplishment, he became the most successful and realistic leader in the Goryeo period. Though in 1142 when revolutionists started taking control over the government, he had no choice but to resign his position of government. Ever since then, he wrote Samguk Sagi which is also known as “The History of the Three Kingdoms of Korea”, which had played a very important role in providing people with the information of early life of Koreans and also the norm of the society, in the ancient period of the three divided countries of Chosun. Which is also known as early Korea.

Kim Bu-sik, has given descendants the knowledge of the root of Korean history. He also gave the wisdom of how to live through modesty and "Jung”. Jung is the lifestyle of Koreans that refers to the ones who live by taking care of each other genuinely.

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