Later Baekje's Attack on Unified Silla Capital

In 927 CE, during the Later Three Kingdoms period, forces of Later Baekje under King Gyeon Hwon launched a sudden attack on Gyeongju, the capital of Unified Silla. This event occurred at a time when Silla’s authority had already weakened, and the assault exposed the kingdom’s inability to defend its capital from external threats. According to historical accounts, Silla’s King Gyeongae was caught unprepared during a banquet at the Poseokjeong Pavilion when Gyeon Hwon’s forces entered the city. The attacking army overran Gyeongju, leading to widespread destruction. King Gyeongae was forced to take his own life during the invasion. Records also indicate that members of the royal household were subjected to violence following the fall of the capital. After the attack, Gyeon Hwon installed King Gyeongsun as a ruler on the Silla throne. King Gyeongsun would later become the final monarch of Silla, ruling under increasingly diminished authority. This installation further weakened the independence of Silla and demonstrated Later Baekje’s growing dominance in the region. In response to the crisis, Wang Geon, a leading figure who would later found the Goryeo Dynasty, attempted to intervene in support of Silla. However, his forces were defeated by Later Baekje troops at the Battle of Gongsan in 927. This failed intervention highlighted the shifting balance of power among the competing states on the Korean Peninsula. The events of September 927 contributed to the final phase of Silla’s decline, which ended with its formal surrender to Goryeo in 935.