Kim (Korean surname)

The hanja for Kim, 金, can also be transliterated as 금 (geum) which means 'gold, metal, iron'.

[5] Many scholars have suggested that Kim Al-chi (Alti) may have been the chief of a "gold" (altin) clan of Korea and Manchuria, whose story is similar to the legend of Alji Geo-seo-khan.

Famous ancient members of this clan, aside from the kings of Geumgwan Gaya, include the Silla general Kim Yu-sin.

The Gyeongju Kims (경주김씨; 慶州金氏)[12] trace their descent from the ruling family of Silla.

The founder of this clan is said to have been Kim Al-chi, an orphan adopted by King Talhae of Silla in the 1st century CE.

Alji's seventh-generation descendant was the first member of the clan to take the throne, as King Michu of Silla in the year 262.

Its progenitor, Kim Sujing (김수징; 金粹澄), was a descendant of the last king of Silla and established their ancestral home in Suncheon.

The name Yeongdeok replaced an earlier name, Yaseong, which means 'city in the wilderness', and dates its origins back to Silla.

The Sangsan Kim clan (상산김씨; 商山金氏) originated from Sangju in North Gyeongsang Province.

The progenitor was Kim Su (김수; 金需) and the clan had members that participated in the Joseon government.

One of the members of this clan, Kim Inhu, was one of the 18 Sages of Korea and honored as a Munmyo Bae-hyang (문묘배향; 文廟配享).