King Giru was the eldest son of King Daru, the second ruler of Baekje. He remained the crown prince for 44 years before finally coming to the throne in the year 77 to become the third king of Baekje. According to The History of the Three Kingdoms, the king was a man of profound insight and he didn’t much care for trivial things.

Upon ascending to the throne, King Giru concentrated on dealing with the eastern state of Silla and a Malgal tribe, to expand the territory of his kingdom, just as his father did. In the initial stage of his reign, in 85, the king sent his army to the border to invade Silla. But later, in 105 and in 113, the king dispatched envoys to Silla to extend the hand of friendship. Afterward, the two states maintained peace. When Silla was under attack by the Malgal forces in 125, the Baekje king sent his troops to Silla to help fight off the invaders. While Baekje managed to secure peace and friendship with the neighboring state of Silla, the Malgal tribe frequently invaded Baekje’s border areas to plunder local villages.

The History of the Three Kingdoms states that the Baekje kingdom was plagued by natural disasters during King Giru’s reign. In 89, for example, a devastating earthquake split the land apart to destroy houses and cause heavy casualties. In spring of the following year, a severe drought gripped the country and resulted in a failure of barley crops. In summer of that year, the country was hit by a typhoon, which was so powerful that trees fell down. In 93, five huge rocks fell into the valley at a mountain located in northern Seoul. In 99, frost and hail ruined crops, while a severe famine in 108 even caused people to kill each other and eat human flesh. In 111, quakes shook the country, and heavy rains in 116 flooded the Han River in present-day Seoul. The disasters were all considered ominous signs, indicating that Baekje society was rather unstable throughout the king’s reign.

Among the disasters and incidents, an extraordinary one is recorded in the history book. It is written that two dragons appeared in the HanRiver in 97. This record became the origin of the name of Yongsan, a region in central Seoul north of the Han River. Yongsan means “dragon mountain.”

King Giru died in 128, ending his 51-year reign. He was the crown prince for 44 years, but he ruled his country even longer as king. It is unknown exactly when he was born. But given his long years as the crown prince and king, it is assumed that Giru was very old when he died.