Case file · Cosmic event
The falling star of Bidam's rebellion
During Bidam's revolt a great star fell on Wolseong palace; the rebels took it as a sign the queen would fall, and Kim Yu-sin answered by flying a burning kite.
647 CE · 35.83, 129.22 · status: account
The account
The Samguk sagi says Kim Yu-sin tied fire to a kite at night so that the 'star' seemed to rise back into heaven, then sacrificed a white horse and led the royal troops to crush the rebels. Queen Seondeok died during the revolt.
The sceptical view
A bright meteor is plausible; the kite stratagem shows how much omens weighed on morale.