Background
Gogukcheon was the second son of Goguryeo"s eighth king, Sindae. In 180, Gogukcheon married Lady U, the daughter of U So of the Jena-bu, further consolidating central power.
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During his reign, the names of five "bu", or powerful regional clans, become names of districts of the central kingdom, and rebellions by the aristocracy were suppressed, notably in 191. Though Prince Gye-Su was able to block the army, the king later directly led his armies to repel Han forces in 184. In 191, King Gogukcheon adopted a meritocratic system for selecting government officials.
As a result, he discovered many talented people from all over Goguryeo, the greatest of them being Eul Pa-So, who was given the position of Prime Minister.
The ancient text Samguk Sagi says that Gogukcheon went hunting one day in 194 and encountered a starving village. He gave some of his clothes and food to one of the villagers, and felt that the starvation of his people was his responsibility.
Gogukcheon worked to improve the lives of farmers and peasants in his kingdom. Jindae law is a grain loan system enacted by Gogukcheon in 194.
This system allowed people to borrow grain from March to July and pay back in October.
This system was maintained by the age of Joseon dynasty as "Hwangok", which indicates the law was highly preserved more than a thousand years.
