history

Wang Kon (877-943) is the founder of Koryo (918-1392), a feudal state of Korea. He ruled it from 918 to 943.

He named his kingdom Koryo in a sense that it was the successor to Koguryo (277BC-AD668). In January 919, he moved the capital from Cholwon to Songak which was his established base. Since then, he had pursued the policy of unifying three countries of the same nation, while ensuring political stability of his new kingdom.

He annexed Silla peacefully in 935 and defeated Later Paekje by force of arms in 936, thus achieving the unification cause. Meanwhile, he embraced the people of Palhae, a country of the same stock which had been ruined in 926, and occupied the northwestern region which had been the territory of Koguryo to widen his domain.

As a result, Koryo accomplished the cause of territorial unification for the first time in Korean history and paved the way for the unified development of the nation.