Goguryeo Controversies - Arguments For Goguryeo As A Part of Korean History

Arguments For Goguryeo As A Part of Korean History

Korean historians generally make these arguments:

• The places that the Four Commanderies of Han occupied were originally places of native Korean people. The Chinese commanderies were later taken over by Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
• A state established in what is now China does not necessarily mean it is Chinese. For example, during Yuan Dynasty, the whole China became part of the Mongol Empire. With no doubt, this is part of History of Mongolia. Besides, Goguryeo's territories included land in both Manchuria and the Korean peninsula. Goguryeo's second capital was located at Pyongyang, North Korea. Before the capital city was moved, Goguryeo territory comprised what is today North Korea and parts of Manchuria. Furthermore, during the time of the Han Dynasty, many of the people conquered by the Han Dynasty in what is now Southern, Western, and North Eastern China were not Han themselves, but only became Han citizens after Sinofication.
• Goguryeo is a country founded by Buyeo people, one of the major ancestors of Korean people. Both Goguryeo and Baekje are successor nations of Buyeo. The fact that large numbers of Goguryeo people were assimilated into China does not necessarily make it Chinese as many were also assimilated into other dynasties at the time.
• Approximately 30,000 Goguryeo households were assimilated to China. This is insignificant when looking at the fact that Goguryeo listed more than 700,000 households. China had not absorbed a significant amount of Goguryeo's total population. Balhae received the most Goguryeo immigrants. Its founder was a Goguryeo noble. When the Khitans invaded Balhae, the majority population fled to Goryeo.
• Goguryeo lasted about 700 years while no Chinese dynasty concurrent with Goguryeo's rule lasted for more than 500 years. It was Imperial China's tributary only during some of its existence. More important, being a tributary of Imperial China doesn't make it Chinese. Many East Asia dynasties and kingdoms, like Silla, Goryeo, Japan, Ryukyu etc., had tributary relationships with Chinese Dynasties during some time of their existence.
• Many of the customs (Ssireum, Taekwondo, ondol, dancing etc.) depicted in the murals are present in some form in Korean culture today.
• The name "Korea" has its roots from the name "Goryeo", which in turn took its name from "Goguryeo". Goryeo is the more correct term for the Goguryeo dynasty as Goguryeo is mainly referred to Goryeo in most Chinese and Japanese historic texts after the reign of King Jangsu of Goguryeo. Goguryeo is also stated as Goryeo on the Gwanggaeto Stele The dynasty Goryeo was founded on the basis that it was the descendant dynasty of Goguryeo, therefore adopting the name of Goguryeo.
• Only Southern Koreans from the Jeolla and Gyeongsang regions were descendants of Samhan, which is south of the Geum River. There are more Koreans descended from inhabitants outside Samhan and Silla, i.e., north of Geum River. Many Koreans are descendants of people outside Samhan (especially people that have families originated from Norther Korea), i.e. Goguryeo, but we cannot state that the North Koreans are Chinese while they share the same language and culture with South Korea.
• Nationalistic Korean scholars believe that the people of the 3 kingdoms of Korea shared a common ancestor; the Yamaek tribe, distinct from the Tungus, Mongol and Turkic tribes. Because of this common ancestry, Goguryeo is distinctly Korean.
• The view that Goguryeo is Chinese contradicts with Chinese history records of the past Chinese dynasties - which considered it a part of the cultural Sinosphere, but was a separate and foreign political entity.
• Northeast China Project is politics under the cover of academics, fearing that the possible unification of North and South Korea may cause border disputes between Korea and China.