Gimhae Heo clan

Gimhae Heo clan (Korean: 김해 허씨; Hanja: 金海 許氏) is a Korean clan. This clan traces their origin to King Suro and his legendary Queen Heo Hwang-ok, who are mentioned in the 13th-century Korean chronicle Samguk Yusa.[1][2] King Suro was the founder of Gaya confederacy.[1][3] According to a 2015 survey, the population of Gimhae Heo clan is 1,340,688.[3]

The founder of Gimhae Heo clan, a 35th descendant of Queen Heo Hwang-ok and King Suro, was Heo Yeom who served in the court of King Munjong of Goryeo. He was appointed as the Prince of Garak / Gaya (Hanja: 駕洛君).[3]

More than six million present day Koreans, especially from Gimhae Kim, Gimhae Heo clan and Incheon Lee clan (Yi) clans associate their ancestry to royal family of Gaya,[3] and these clans place restrictions on marriage with each other due to the shared ancestors. Today, the Gimhae Kim clan is the largest clan group among them.[3]

The Gimhae Heo clan and Incheon Lee clan, descended from the two sons of King Suro who used their mother's Queen Heo Hwang-ok's surname, instead of their father's. According to Samguk Yusa, Queen Heo Hwang-ok became the wife of King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya at the age of 16, after having arrived in Gaya confederacy in Korea in the year 48 AD by boat from a distant kingdom called "Ayuta",[1][4][5][6][7] making her the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya. Her native kingdom is believed to be located in India by some, there is however no mention of her in any pre-modern Indian sources.[7] There is a tomb in Gimhae in Korea, that are believed by some to be of King Suro and Queen Heo,[8] and a memorial of Queen Heo Hwang-ok in Hindu holy city of Ayodhya in India.[1][9][10]