Korol King II

Tatiana Kouchnareva (B.C KO T). Korol King II - sliced fruit. 2014-09-17.

Indet., regular leaf plants with wispy foliage. Beautiful pink pointy hearts, 7-10 oz. Very good flavor. {15 seeds / packet)

Seed source:

Ted Maiden, LaFollette, Tennessee 13 / Marina Kirishcheva, Brasovo, Bryansk region, Russia 13

Year grown: 2014

Location: Zone 7b, PNW, Anmore, BC, Canada (760 ft above sea level)

History

(Tatiana's note) This variety seems to have originated from Russia, but I was not able to find many historical details. The first mention of tomato 'Korol King' was in 2006 in this Russian article by Larisa Khoroshaeva. The author mentioned that the seeds originated from a Russian seed collector and private seed vendor A.L. Dmitriev, and that it is a hobby gardener variety.
To add to the mystery, in the early 2010s some private Russian seed vendors listed the variety 'Korol King (USA)'. See [1] (search for 'Король Кинг (США)'). This does not mean that the tomato originated in the USA, as I was not able to find any English name that even remotely resembles the Russian name. Also, the name sounds 'very Russian' to me, given the popularity of the movie 'King Kong' in Russia. I think the 'USA' was added to the name to make it sounds 'rare' and 'exclusive', or perhaps the seeds made its way from Russia to the USA and back to Russia.
I am not sure how 'II' got added to the name - perhaps someone observed a variation from the original description?
The conclusion so far is this tomato originated in Russia.
Introduced commercially in North America by Tatiana's TOMATObase Seeds in 2015.

See also

Russian name: Король Кинг II

Description in Russian

Король Кинг - среднеспелый высокорослый (1,5-2 м) сорт. Плоды ярко-розовые, красивой сердцевидной формы (типа Бычьего сердца). Масса плодов 300-500 г, во второй кисти – формируются плоды-гиганты, вес отдельных до 1 кг. Вкус сладкий, мякоть малосеменная, плотная, сочная. Очень ароматный сорт. Семян в плоде практически нет.

Year	Commercial Vendors	Seed Savers Yearbook (Member listings)	Seeds of Diversity (Member listings)
2018		.	.
2017		.	.
2016		.	.
2015	Tatiana's TOMATObase Seeds - new	.	.
2014		.	.
2013		0	0
2012		0	0
2011		0	0
2010		0	.
2009		0	.
2008		0	.
2007		0	.