Haeju, on the Other Side
Notes on a Korean clan seat I cannot visit.
I grew up knowing my family was Haeju Kim — a Korean bon-gwan, an ancestral clan seat. I knew the name but almost nothing else. When I started looking, the first thing I found was that Haeju sits in Hwanghae Province, which is in North Korea. The place my name comes from is somewhere I cannot go.
The Clan Seat
Haeju is on the coast of Hwanghae Province, about 140km northwest of Seoul, across the DMZ.
The Haeju Kim's documented history runs through this point for about eight centuries.
Goryeo Dynasty
Kim Suk-seung establishes the Haeju bon-gwan (si-jo).
Civil Service Exam
Kim Woo-han passes the civil service exam under King Yeonsangun (jung-si-jo).
Minister of Personnel
Kim Jeong reaches Minister of Personnel under King Jungjong.
Division
Korea is divided. Haeju ends up on the other side.
6,652 Members
Haeju Kim registered in the 2015 South Korean census. I am one of them.
About the Haeju Kim
The Haeju Kim (海州 金氏) is a small Korean clan — 6,652 members in the 2015 census, compared to millions in the largest Kim lineages. We recognize two founding figures: a si-jo (始祖, originating ancestor) from the Goryeo Dynasty, and a jung-si-jo (中始祖, middle progenitor) who re-established the line during the early Joseon period.
Beyond that, the documented record gets thin. A legend that's older than the documents ties the broader Korean Kim lineages to a Xiongnu prince named Kim Il-je, who served at the Han court in the 2nd century BC. And a bon-gwan now on the wrong side of a border.
Some of what you inherit is a name.
Some of it is a place you cannot go.