His Final Years
Throughout his life Kim Yushin had felt that Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla should not be separate countries but united. He is regarded as the driving force in the unification of the Korean Peninsula, and is the most famous of all the generals in the unification wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Kim Yusin was rewarded handsomely for his efforts in the campaigns. In 668, King Munmu bestowed upon him the honorary title of Taedaegakgan (태대각간, 太大角干), something like "Grand Sub-Chief." He reportedly received a village of over 500 households, and in 669 was given some 142 separate horse farms, spread throughout the kingdom. He died four years later, leaving behind ten children.
Kim Yushin lived to the age of 79 and is considered to be one of the most famous generals and masters of Korean swords in Korean history. He is the focus of numerous stories and legends, and is familiar to most Koreans from a very early age. Following his death in 673, General Kim was awarded the honorary title of King Heungmu, and was buried at the foot of Songhwa Mountain,35°50′44″N 129°11′28″E / 35.8456477°N 129.1911292°E / 35.8456477; 129.1911292 near Gyeongju in southeastern Korea, in a tomb as splendid as that of kings.
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