Taru of Paekche
King of the Baekje dynasty of Korea (r. 28-77)

Taru (?–77, r. 28–77) was the second king of Paekche, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Background
He was the eldest son of the founding monarch Onjo and became the heir of throne in the year 10. He became king upon Onjo's death in 28 which was the 46th year of his reign. The Samguk sagi records that "he was a generous man and had presence and esteem".
Reign
The Samguk sagi records many battles against the "Malgal" during Taru's reign. It is unclear who this refers to, as the Mohe tribes are thought to have occupied Manchuria northwest of the northern Korean kingdom Goguryeo, far from Paekche's capital (generally presumed to have been in the present-day Seoul region). The "Malgal" do not appear to refer to the Buyeo people that founded Paekche, nor to the Mahan confederacy tribes subjugated by Paekche. They appear to have remained from the earlier period, incited by Chinese commanderies to attack Paekche. The battles indicate that Paekche as a new power was still expanding its control of the central Korean Peninsula.
“Taru of Paekche” enters the record as king of the Baekje dynasty of Korea (r. 28-77). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Taru, Paekche and King can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Taru of Paekche” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Taru, Paekche and King provides the most credible route into that argument.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q497305. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Taru of Paekche” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.