When Koguryo ruled East Asia

23. 오회분 제5호분

Ⅰ. 대표적 고분벽화

Blue dragon

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East wall of the main chamber 

This finest painting of blue dragon is comparable to that in Ohoe Tomb No. 4. The dragon is soaring up to the sky with its

forelegs stretched out. In the background are a series of hexagonal patterns made of curved vine scrolls and decorated with

flame patterns. The delicate yet vigorous brushworks and rich colors convey the fantastic atmosphere of the immortal’s world.

This painting exhibits the superb skill and sophisticated taste of the Koguryo people. 

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in history as the “Era of Five Barbarian Tribes and Sixteen

States.” In 313 CE, King Micheon overpowered the two

commanderies of Lelang and Daifang, thus completely

expelling the Chinese forces from the Korean peninsula.

The fertile lands of the two commanderies gave Koguryo

an important economic base for further development. 

In the ensuing years, Koguryo advanced to Liaodong and

became involved in an intense rivalry over the control of

the region with the Early Yan, which was founded by the

Mujung tribe of the Xianbei. Fighting the rivalry, Koguryo

went through a serious crises in 342 CE, when its capital

Gungnaeseong fell under the offensive of the Early Yan. In

carrying out southerly expeditions, Koguryo also fought

ferocious battles with Baekje, whose troops advanced all

the way to Pyeongyang Fortress in 371 CE. In this battle,

Koguryo lost their king, Gogugwon.

When its westerly and southerly military expeditions

repeatedly failed during the reign of King Gogukwon,

Koguryo turned its attention inward, carrying out reforms

to restructure domestic systems and establishing a more

effective ruling mechanism. King Gogugwon's successor,

King Sosurim promulgated statutes, set up Taehak, an

academy of a higher learning, and propagated Buddhism.

As a result, Koguryo was able to have a more stable and

effective centralized ruling structure.

4. Establishing an Independent Power

Koguryo's successful reforms in this period paved the

road for the vigorous external expeditions for conquests,

launched by King Gwangaeto and King Jangsu in

succession. During the reign of King Gwangaeto, the

kingdom overpowered the Later Yan, founded by the

Mujung tribe of the Xianbei, winning full control over

Liaodong in the west. It also conquered Sushen as well as

the Eastern Buyeo in the northeast. Further, the kingdom

annexed Buyeo in the north, thus occupying a large part of

southern Manchuria. To the south, Koguryo troops

continued the offensive against Baekje. As a result, the

kingdom's influence extended to the Han River valley. In

addition, Koguryo exercised strong influence over Shilla.

During the reign of King Jangsu, Koguryo relocated its

capital in Pyeongyang and vigorously carried out the policy

of southward expansion. As a result, it gained complete

control over the middle section of the Korean peninsula. To

the west, it also ventured out across the Liao River to fight

Northern Wei over the control of the Liaoxi region. It

formed an alliance with the Later Yan and partitioned

“Didouyu,” a nomadic tribe who inhabited northwestern

Manchuria, thus expanding its influence all the way to the

Xing'an Mountain Ranges. Koguryo also annexed most of

the Khitans in the upper valley of the Liao River. 

The massive expansion of its territory gave Koguryo an

opportunity to build up strong national power. This allowed

the kingdom to establish an independent sphere in

Northeast Asia. In the East Asian international order  a

balance of multiple powers was maintained. China was

divided into Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Later

Yan was prominent in the north, and Koguryo took control

of its domain. Therefore, in the region after the mid-5th

century relative political stability was maintained. In this

international setting, Koguryo was also able to develop

multilateral diplomatic ties with the Northern Wei, which it

bordered, and the Southern Dynasties, as well as the Later

Koguryo, An East Asian Hegemon

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Ⅱ. Koguryo, An East Asian Hegemon 

Koguryo is one of the oldest kingdoms in the Korean

peninsula. At the height of its power in the 5th century,

Koguryo ruled over a vast territory that extended in all

directions: In the north up to the Songhwa River valley (in

today's Jilin Province, China), in the south down to the Han

River valley and northern part of today's Gyeongsang

Province in the peninsula. In the west it extended to the

Liao River (today's Liaoning Province in China), and in the

east to the Far Eastern Littoral States area (today's Jilin

Province of China and parts of Russia). Koguryo at that

time was one of the major powers along with the Chinese

states that controlled the political order of East Asia.

1. Name and Ethnicity

The designation of "Koguryo" is divided into two parts.

The first part, "Ko," is a Chinese character meaning “high”

or “big.” The second part, “guryo,” is an old native Korean

noun, meaning a town or fortress. Thus we can assume that

the name of the kingdom indicate a big town or large

fortress. After the 5th century, it was shortened as “Koryo.”

The people of the Maek tribe, who used to live along the

middle section of the Yalu River valley in the 5th-4th

centuries BCE, established Koguryo. In the course of

developing into a kingdom, these people were joined by a

branch of the Ye tribe who migrated from Buyeo, and

together they formed the Koguryo people.

2. Founding of Koguryo

The spread of Iron Age culture that began around the 3rd

century BCE laid the social infrastructure on which

Koguryo was established. Meanwhile, the Han dynasty in

China invaded Gojoseon and set up 3 commanderies, among

which Lelang is included. And in Koguryo's territory, the

Han established the Xuantu Commandery in 107 BCE. The

people of Koguryo, the original settlers in the region,

resisted strongly against the presence of the Chinese

commandery. The resistance gradually forced the Xiantu

Commandery to move to the Liaodong region. After driving

out the Xiantu Commandery, small states in the area formed

a coalition with the king of Koguryo as its head.

Samguksagi (The Historical Records of the Three

Kingdoms, compiled in 1146 CE) recounts a founding

legend of the Koguryo kingdom as following: “Jumong, the

founder of Koguryo (r. 37-19 BCE), came southward from

Buyeo and established a new kingdom together with the

local forces in the Apnok [Yalu] River valley.” 

During the reign of King Taejo, Koguryo became a

powerful state that exercised strong leadership over all the

tribes within its domain. Its ruling system was consolidated,

and its abilities to mobilize military forces grew

significantly with the centralization of sovereign power.

Also, its external activities for conquests and territorial

expansions increased. Koguryo first annexed the regions of

the Eastern Okjeo and the Eastern Ye, where agricultural

and fishery resources were abundant, and continued to

launch large-scale offensives against Chinese towns and

commanderies. Koguryo's efforts for growth during this

early period can be characterized as a series of struggles to

drive the Chinese forces out of its territory. 

3. Consolidation of Power and External

Activities

Koguryo established a centralized government around

the 4th century during the reign of King Sosurim,

promulgating a set of state laws and reorganizing its

domestic systems . Having solidified its political systems,

Koguryo began its external campaigns for conquests, taking

advantage of the political chaos in China, which is known

Ⅱ.Koguryo, An East Asian Hegemon

By Im Ki-hwan

(Section chief, Koguryo Research Foundation)

The Inscribed Stele of King Gwangaeto (414CE)

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