Dae Yeon-rim (Hangul: 대연림, Hanja: 大延琳, ?-?) was the founder of the Heung-yo kingdom, which was a successor-state of Balhae.
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Background and Rise to power
Dae Yeon-rim was a descendant of the Balhae Royal family as the 7th-generation direct descendant of Dae Joyeong, who was the founder of Balhae. He entered the Liao army at an unknown age and was eventually assigned to the central province as a general. While serving as a general of the Liao Dynasty, Dae Yeon-rim secretly dreamed of re-establishing the glories of the former kingdom of Balhae, and began gathering people of Balhae origin, and eventually established the kingdom of Heung-yo during the year 1029 AD. The kingdom of Heung-yo gathered the attention of numerous Balhae people, and flourished until 1030 AD, when the Liao sent an army to conquer and destroy the kingdom.
Defeat and Downfall
Dae Yeon-rim's Heung-yo kingdom was pushed back to its capital city, and continued to fight the Liao until a traitorous general opened the city gates, allowing the enemy to overwhelm the city defenses. After only a year, Dae Yeon-rim's kingdom fell at the hands of one of his own subcommanders.