Haepyeong (Seonsan) Gil Clan... Exploration of Korean Surnames Part 11

The Haepyeong Gil clan is truly rare.
It is a surname that originated when Gil Dang, one of the Eight Scholars of the Song Dynasty in the 11th century, naturalized to the Goryeo Dynasty.
Goryeo honored him by conferring the title of Gwangrok Daebu, Count of Haepyeong.
Haepyeong refers to Haepyeong in Seonsan, Gyeongsang-do.
Ya-eun Gil Jae, from the late Goryeo period, was a direct descendant.
"Bul-sa-i-gun" (Never serving two kings)... Declaring he would not serve two monarchs,
he rejected Yi Seong-gye's sincerity and refused to participate in the new Joseon Dynasty.
As a result, the Gil clan did not flourish and instead dwindled in number.
With a population of just over 35,000 in South Korea, it is extremely rare.
Gil Jae's "Elegy for a Fallen Nation" is a sijo that everyone had to memorize during their school years.