South Korea recalls ‘Ayodhya connect’ on Ram temple opening: ‘Family-like bond’
South Korea on Tuesday congratulated India on the grand opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, while highlighting the ancient ties between the two nations that are deeply rooted in the temple town.
“Congratulations on the consecration ceremony of the #RamTemple in #Ayodhya,” the Korean Embassy in India said in a post on X, adding that the “place holds a great symbolic importance for Korea-India relations based on the matrimonial link between Queen #Sriratna (Heo Hwang-ok) from Ayodhya and King Kim Suro from Gaya (Korea) in 48 A.D.”
The post also expressed hope that the “family-like and spiritual bonds between our two nations will continue to strengthen and deepen, inspired by the idealism personified in Lord Ram as Maryada Purushottam.”
Legend has it that Queen Heo Hwang-ok, also known as Princess Suriratna, was the princess of Ayodhya before she married King Kim Suro of Karak Clan in 48 AD. This matrimonial link is celebrated as a cornerstone of the friendly relations between the two countries.
Queen Heo Hwang-ok’s story is chronicled in the ancient Korean text “Samguk Yusa,” which recounts King Suro’s wife as a princess from the distant kingdom of Ayuta, widely believed to be today’s Ayodhya. The queen’s memorial, first established in Ayodhya in 2001, stands as a testament to this shared history.
To honour the queen’s legacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed an MoU in 2015 to expand the memorial during PM Modi’s visit to South Korea. The beautified memorial park was inaugurated in 2022.
According to the Uttar Pradesh tourism department, approximately 6 million people from the Karak clan regard Ayodhya as their maternal homeland. This sentiment was underscored in November 2018 when then South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook made a solo trip to India. During her four-day stay, she visited the memorial on the banks of the Saryu River in Ayodhya, paying homage to Princess Suriratna, who is fondly remembered in Korea as Queen Heo Hwang-ok.