The name of King Tongmyong was Jumong. He was also called Chumo, Tomo or Jungmo.
He reigned from 277 BC to 259 BC.
Legend has it that his father was Haemosu, known as Heavenly Emperor or his son, and his mother was Ryuhwa, daughter of Dragon King named Habaek.
In fact, his parents were influential persons in the area along the mid-stream of the Amnok River.
Ryuhwa, Jumong’s mother, was banished to the area around Ubalsu because she got married without receiving the approval of her parents. Then she took refuge in the royal palace of Puyo, where she gave birth to him.
Jumong was good at martial arts from his boyhood. In particular, he was such an excellent archer that he never missed targets at the age of 7 and later on could hit two flying birds with one arrow and a small ring a hundred steps away on his first go.
The name Jumong originated in the word of Puyo dialect which denoted a master archer. As such he was already an expert archer in his boyhood. He grew up to be a man of sturdy build.
So jealous of Jumong’s gifts and undaunted vigour, a prince of Puyo Kingdom attempted to kill him. Given the situation, Jumong left Puyo for Kuryo Kingdom (otherwise called Jolbon Puyo) in the south together with several like-minded men like Oi, Mari and Hyoppo and joined hands with the regional autonomous force there. He gradually expanded his influence. First he became the head of a region of Kuryo and then all its five regions.
In 277 BC he changed the name of the country into Koguryo. While establishing feudalistic ruling system and order, he designated Jolbon as the first capital of his country.
He paid close attention to territorial expansion. Koguryo annexed several neighbouring countries like Piryu, Haengin and Pugokjo to become a large kingdom ten years after he ascended to power.
This made him the founder of the first feudal state in the history of Korea. As the founder king of Koguryo, he laid strong foundations for his country.
In 259 BC, 19 years after he founded the kingdom, his wife surnamed Rye he had got married in Puyo and Yuryu, the son by the marriage, came to see him. The king nominated Yuryu as the crown prince.
In September that year, King Tongmyong suddenly fell ill and died. His tomb was moved to what is now Ryongsan-ri, Ryokpho District, Pyongyang, when Koguryo moved its main capital to Pyongyang.
King Tongmyong was a proud son of Koguryo who laid a firm foundation for the country to shine as a powerful kingdom in Asia for 1 000 years.
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