Koguryo Kingdom

The “Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom” consists of three former capitals and 40 tombs. These archaeological sites represent the extinct Koguryu civilization that existed from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD in what is now Northeast China and North Korea.

The cities are the first capitals of the Koguryo Kingdom, Wunu Mountain City and Guonei City, and Wandu Mountain City. Of the thousands known Koguryo tombs, the designated area includes 14 Imperial Tombs and 26 tombs of Nobles. The latter are decorated with wall paintings, describing daily life scenes.

This WHS is closely related to Koguryu Tombs in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The tombs there belong to a later period of the Koguryu Kingdom. Both China and North Korea have been asked to join their Koguryan sites, but haven’t taken action to accomplish this so far.

Year Decision Comments
2004 Inscribed Reasons for inscription

Reviews

jung seoyoon ():
Koguryo was not a local government by the minorities in China. She was a dignified grand empire in the eastern Asia with individuality and sovereignty. Koguryo maintained the Korean peninsula against Chinese invasions. At the same time, She achieved the high-level culture by metamorphoses of Chinese and Occidental cultures, and it's culture circulated to Beakje, Silla and Japan.

Koguryo left the great cultural estates in fields of fortress and Tumulus-paintings. The former exhibited their actual lives and the latter showed their future hopes. The fortress protected her nation and Korean Peninsula against Chinese invasions. On the other hand, the tomb-murals indicated their artistic and religious ideas.

Many Chinese scholars insisted that Koguryo was regarded as a attached regime or a local government in China. But She was a legislative nation in political and diplomatic standpoints. She maintained her political structures unlike China. Especially Koguryo left valuable cultural properties in murals that is a noted kind of ancient Korean culture.

But Koguryo propelled the southward policies in 5th century including capital removing to Pyong Yang. These political measures mean the outset of downfall. She was nomadic nation in the northern region with mobility, therefore the people of Koguryo had war-like, moblie and diligent characters. In the wake of moving toward the South, they lost their original nature. At last they abandoned their northern territories in Manchuria and were satisfied with plunder of agricultural products and feuds of elite groups in the 7th century. Therefore we can point out that the removal of capital(Pyong Yang) was not an expansion drive but a beginning of decline.
Date posted: September 2006


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