Hye of Baekje

Who was Hye of Baekje?

King Hye of Baekje was the 28th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

The second son of the 26th king Seong, he assumed the throne after the death of his older brother and 27th king Wideok, but reigned only briefly before his own death. The Samguk Yusa describes him as the son of Wideok, but this is considered an error.

His reign saw major inroads from the neighbouring Silla and Goguryeo kingdoms, with Silla occupying the present-day Seoul area and trading directly with China. Baekje's commercial positions along the Yellow Sea coast were now dominated by Goguryeo, trading outposts in China were lost to the Sui Dynasty's unification, and Japan's political centralization outgrew Baekje's influence as well. The decline of external commerce and influence led to infighting among the nobility.

He was succeeded by his son Beop.