뉴스레터

Gwanggaeto Stele facing
southward to the Korean
peninsula

Gwanggaeto the Great Laying the Foundation for Goguryeo

Next year marks the 1600th year since Gwanggaeto the Great passed away. He came to the throne at the age of 18, and served as a great leader in Northeast Asia during his reign of 21 years. His great accomplishments are inscribed on the Ganggaeto Stele, located in what is today the city of Jip'an along the Aprok River in present-day northeast China, which was the capital of Goguryeo (Gungnaeseong) at that time. Anyone in front of the magnificent stands in owe.

The magnificent stele remains the same after so many years, and we stand in owe of its grandeur. It provides a synopsis of Gwanggaeto's reign and his numerous accomplishments, waiting for us to listen to its words of truth and wisdom.

The inscribed text begins with "our first Ancestor King Chumo", introducing the foundation of Goguryeo. When King Chumo came forth from Northern Buyeo and arrived at the Great Eomni River, he said, "I am King Chumo, son of the Celestial Emperor (Cheonje) and the daughter of the Earl of the River (Habaek). Weave together the reeds for me so that the turtles will float to the surface." Then, he could cross the river and establish his capital upon the mountain fort of Holbon in Biryu Valley. We can vividly imagine the situation at that time as we look at the mountain fort of Onyeo on the cliff along the Hon River (渾江). After founding Goguryeo, King Chumo summoned a yellow dragon and ascended to heaven. His heir apparent, King Yuyu, moved the capital to Gungnaeseong, and Great King Chuyu succeeded to rule and the throne was handed on, eventually to the 17th in succession, to Gwanggaeto the Great. With his majestic military virtue, his people flourished in a wealthy state. The inscription says that the stele was built to commemorate his death and inform the descendants of his impressive accomplishments (立碑銘記勳績以示後世).

Goruryeo's Great Power and Establishment of National Community

Conquering territories is what first comes to our mind when we think of Gwanggaeto the Great. His posthumous epithet (國崗上廣開土境平安好太王) reflects the fact that his most impressive achievements are territorial expansions. Under his reign, Goguryeo advanced northward and eastward to Georan, Sukshin, and East Buyeo, and southward to Baekje, Shilla, Imnagara (任那加羅), and Alla (安羅). Among them, Baekje was at the heart of his attention. Goguryeo and Baekje were brother nations, diverging from the same Buyeo tribe, but they had to constantly struggle with each other due to historical and geographical reasons. In early 4th century, Goguryeo attacked Nakrang troops and Daebang troops, and went on to fight against Baekje. However, King Geunchogo of Baekje advanced to Pyeongyangseong in late 4th century and killed King Gogukwon, who was grandfather of Gwanggaeto the Great. King Gwanggaeto waited for revenge. After ascending to throne, he led 50 thousand soldiers and attacked Baekje, and the royal castle of Baekje soon fell to the Goguryeo troops. King Ashin of Baekje, grandson of King Geunchogo, fell on his knees in front of King Gwanggaeto, and swore loyalty to him. Then, King Gwanggaeto withdrew his troops without destroying the royal family of Baekje, and King Ashin swore that Baekje would pay a tribute to Goguryeo.

King Gwanggaeto's military actions can be seen as a declaration of national identity united community in Korea. Goguryeo was established in Manchuria, and his attention was focused on the Korean peninsula. Fierce battles with Later Yan (後燕) of Xianbei tribe (鮮卑族) were deliberately omitted in the inscription because the Korean peninsula was at the center of Gwanggaeto the Great's vision and ambitions. It is no coincidence that the front side of the stele looks southward. This reflects King Gwanggaeto's hopes and dreams of creating a national community in the Korean peninsula.

It is also supported by the message that Wae, which is today's Japan, defeated Baekje and Shilla and made them subjects. This is the biggest controversy surrounding the inscribed text of Gwanggaeto Stele, and modern Japanese historians claimed that it means that the Korean peninsula was once under Japan's rule in ancient times. But the truth is that Goguryeo wanted to justify the war with Japan, by saying that Wae ruled Baekje and Shilla, which were subjects of Goguryeo, and it gave Goguryeo sufficient reason to fight against Wae and save the southern part of the Korean peninsula. The people of Goguryeo tried to express that King Gwanggaeto was a great leader not only because of his territorial advancement, but also because of his moral values. In this context, they deliberately inserted some incorrect content in order to portray Wae as an aggressor.

Hill of Gukgangsang where the Gwanggaeto Stele and the tomb of Gwanggaeto the Great / Tomb of King Jangsu on the northern hill in Gungnaeseong

King Jangsu succeeding his father's work

Near the Gwanggaeto Stele is Taewangreung (太王陵), the tomb of Gwanggaeto the Great. It is considered the biggest royal tomb of Goguryeo, given the huge size of stones and the way they are arranged. The two huge stone monuments facing the Aprok River are located in Gukgangsang in Gungnaeseong, and they give us a glimpse of Guguryeo as a great empire. Around the tomb were dispatched 330 people who tended it at all times. King Jangsu also made it into law that these guards could not be sold without permission. We can feel his strong will to preserve the royal tomb by establishing a monitoring system that would keep the tomb as strong as mountains (願太王陵安如山固如岳).

King Jangsu succeeded his father's work, and moved the capital to Pyeongyang to focus more on the Korean peninsula. He left former capital, Gungnaeseong, which was a small piece of land surrounded by mountains, and went to Pyeongyang to renew national values. To ensure that Baekje and Shilla remained as Goguryeo's subjects, King Jangsu took control of the area near the Han River. He also stationed his troops in the capital of Shilla, and incorporated the King of Shilla into the dynamics of Northeast Asia where Goguryeo was a leading power.

After completing King Gwanggaeto's unfinished work, King Jangsu returned to Gungnaeseong in his twilight years. King Jangsu's accomplishments were made possible thanks to Gwanggaeto the Great who laid the foundation for Goguryeo's growth and development. Gungnaeseong was where his predecessors rested in peace, and it was also where he was born, grew up and ruled the country for 15 years. He was buried in the Tomb of the General (將軍塚), created upon northern hill just above his father's tomb and Gungnaeseong. It demonstrates King Jangsu's strong will to protect Gungnaeseong from enemies as a guardian of Goguryeo. Under Gwanggaeto the Great and King Jangsu's reigns of 100 years combined, Goguryeo enjoyed its golden days in terms of establishment of national identity and community as well as territorial expansion.