Claremont Independent

Last Updated: 12/19/06 Section: Opinion

Belisarius, protecting us from the barbarians

The Chinese and the Koreans have been banging heads over a civilization since the sixth century, which now has grand implications for East Asian politics. The civilization in question is the Kingdom of Koguryo, which covered what is now the majority of the Korean peninsula and part of Chinese-controlled Manchuria. China claims that Koguryo was a vassal kingdom to the Chinese Empire, while Koreans on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone argue that Koguryo was a fiercely independent state that fought against the Chinese. Korean textbooks, for example, are full of the heroics of Koguryan warriors repulsing Chinese invaders.

The stakes on Koguryo are surprisingly high. If the Chinese successfully assert their claim to the Koguryan kingdom, then they would have some justification for reclaiming part of the Korean peninsula. Since Eastern Asia's territorial boundaries are justified by ethnicity and history, a dispute over territorial borders 13 centuries old is not as farfetched as it may seem. Many North Koreans and South Koreans assume that after Kim Jong Il's death, reunification will progress rapidly. If integration were to happen, then China would seek to renegotiate the border with a newly united Korea. This could entail demands for a dramatic shift of the border southwards.

If the Koreans assert Koguryo as their own, thousands of square miles of Manchuria would become disputed, bringing about a chill in Sino-Korean relations. Part of the problem is that the mountains from which the Koguryans came lie just on the Chinese side of the Yalu River on the Chinese border with North Korea. The Chinese government has offered Mount Baekdu, the supposed origin of the Korean people, as a potential site for a future winter Olympics. The Koreans regard this mountain as sacred and consider it a source of great embarrassment that they do not have full access or control of it.

The reason that ancient history has become a disputed topic recently is that the Chinese government has tried to provoke the debate again. In late September, the Center of China's Borderland History and Geography Research, a Chinese government-financed institution, had posted articles and essays on its website that described Koguryo as a vassal state of China. Outraged, thousands of South Koreans took to the streets in protests that lasted for days. Internet groups popped up overnight contesting Chinese claims. Koreans are angry because it is not just lines on maps that are up for grabs, but also Korean identity. If Koguryo was a Chinese vassal state, then centuries of Korean traditions are false.

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