Ushering in the era of Madame Presidents
A growing number of countries are led by women these days. This year alone, women have taken the reigns in Brazil, Australia, Switzerland and Slovakia. In the 21st century, the women’s power has been growing fast. There is a prominent female leader in Korean history as well. She’s Queen Seon-deok, the first queen of Korea who laid a foundation for the unification of the three ancient Korean kingdoms.

From Princess Deok-man to Queen Seon-deok
The exact year of Queen Seon-deok’s birth is unknown. According to historic records, she was the oldest daughter of the Silla king Jinpyeong and ascended the throne in 632, where she stayed for 16 years. She became a monarch because her father didn’t have any sons. Moreover, only the descendants of the royal family were entitled to the throne at the time. Queen Seon-deok was faced with numerous obstacles as a woman and a monarch. She seized power half a century earlier than Wu Zetian, who was the only empress in the history of China. A year before Queen Seon-deok began her reign, a revolt occurred against her, while relations between Silla and the Tang Dynasty aggravated as Emperor Taizong of Tang disapproved of Queen Seon-deok. Nonetheless, she was became queen thanks to her wisdom and intelligence.

Three predictions
The historic document “Samguk Yusa,” or “The Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms,” says that Queen Seon-deok was unusually wise. She stunned everyone around her when she foresaw three things. First, she guessed right that peonies had no aroma. When the queen received a painting of a peony from Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, she said, “It’s a beautiful flower, but it doesn’t have an aroma because there are no bees and butterflies around it.”

Second, she foresaw danger when she heard the sound of frogs croaking in winter. She realized that Baekje troops were hiding in an ambush, waiting to attack Silla. She ordered her army to attack the Baekje troops and was able to protect her kingdom from the enemy.

Third, the queen accurately foresaw the time of her death. She asked her officials to bury her near Doricheon, which translates as “Heaven of Grieved Merits.” She died exactly on the day that she said would be the day of her death. Ten years later, King Munmu of Silla built Sacheonwangcheon, or the Temple of the King of the Four Heavens, below her tomb. That’s when Silla officials realized that the Buddhist saying, “Doricheon is above Sacheonwangcheon,” was accomplished by Queen Seon-deok.

Laying a foundation for unifying the Three Kingdoms
From the first year of her reign, the wise queen addressed the worries and concerns of ordinary people. She dispatched officials to various corners of the country to install astronomical observatories to help farmers predict the weather. In 634, she renamed her era “Even Benevolence” and worked toward bolstering Silla’s independence from the Tang Dynasty. She also built a Buddhist temple named “Bunhwangsa,” or “an aromatic imperial temple,” to stabilize the political situation in the country with the help of Buddhism.

Back then, the situation in Silla was very precarious because of frequent invasions. In 642, the king of Baekje staged a junta, taking away more than 40 Silla fortresses. Queen Seon-deok sent an envoy to Goguryeo to request help, and eventually regained the lost fortresses. She also encouraged the public to pull together to restore Silla’s dignity, and promoted Silla culture and art by building a nine-storey wooden pagoda called Hwangryong Temple in 645. But in 647, a violent revolt occurred, during which Queen Seon-deok died. Ten days later the revolt was suppressed.

A mother of her nation
Different generations evaluated Queen Seon-deok’s achievements differently. But few people would disagree that Queen Seon-deok had a special ability to help her country overcome hardships thanks to her meticulousness as a woman. Until the moment of her death, she cared deeply about her people and the unification of the Three Kingdoms.