According to the
Samguk sagi, a 12th-century Korean history of the
Three Kingdoms, Mobon was the eldest son of Goguryeo's third king
Daemusin. Although Mobon was the crown prince at the time of Daemusin's death, because of Mobon's youth, Daemusin's younger brother Minjung ascended to the throne. Mobon became king upon Minjung's death. However, in the
Samguk yusa, Mobon is described as Minjung's older brother. The
Samguk sagi notes that Mobon's character was fierce and stubborn, and he incurred the resentment of the common people. In 49, he attacked the
Beiping,
Yuyang,
Shanggu, and
Taiyuan commanderies of
Han dynasty, several times, but later signed a treaty with Han. He was killed by a court official named Duro, from Mobon. He was buried in Mobon-won. He named his son Ik the crown prince, but upon Mobon's death, there was a power struggle for the throne. Some scholars believe that Mobon was the last of the Hae surname line that began with Goguryeo's second king
Yuri, and the sixth king Taejo began the Go surname lineage (then retroactively attributing the Go surname to the founding monarch
Jumong). ==Controversy surrounding later reign==