Dae Joyeong (King Go)

Dae Joyeong, posthumously known as King Go, was the founder and first ruler of Balhae, which he established in 698. Proclaiming his state the successor to the fallen kingdom of Goguryeo, he brought together Goguryeo refugees and Malgal groups, opening a new political order across Manchuria after Goguryeo's collapse. Chinese sources differ on his origins: the Old Book of Tang describes him as a branch offshoot of the Goguryeo people, while the New Book of Tang records him as being of Sumo Malgal stock that had been subject to Goguryeo.