A History of Korea by Jinwung Kim Read Free Book Online Page A

former Ye territory. Soon the Chinese commandery ceased to exist.
    Controlling the northwestern part of the Korean peninsula, Nangnang endured for more than four centuries, outlasting its father Han empire by 100 years. But Nangnang also experienced a succession of serious crises both internally and externally. In AD 24 Wang Diao, a powerful member of the Nangnang gentry, rebelled against its governor and proclaimed himself the new governor. This coup was suppressed in AD 30 by Wang Zun, the newly arrived governor from China, but it had a significant impact on the indigenous Korean people, who had been pushed down to the southern part of the Korean peninsula when the Han empire expanded into Korea. As the once domineering Nangnang weakened, these native Korean societies recovered their earlier strength. To cope with the growing power of the Korean population, in AD 205 the Gongsun clan, then in control of the Liaodong region, established a new commandery,Daifang (Taebang in Korean) in the area south of Nangnang, formerly administered by Chinb ŏ n. Since the first century BC Nangnang felt heavy pressure from the northern Korean kingdom of Kogury ŏ , established in the north of the commandery and expanded into Manchuria. Nangnang finally fell to Kogury ŏ in 313, and in 314 its neighboring commandery of Taebang was also overwhelmed by the native Korean kingdom.
    A rich and prosperous outpost of Han civilization, Nangnang was a replica of the Han empire proper, particularly its culture. Chinese civilization flowed into the Korean peninsula through Nangnang. The Chinese introduced their customs, their writing system, and their literature to Koreans. Nangnang also functioned as the international trade center of East Asia. Trade was conducted between China and the rest of Korea and even Japan through the Chinese commandery. Many Chinese merchants migrated into Nangnang to engage in commerce. They imported timber, salt, and iron from the indigenous tribal states south of the Han River. To strengthen business ties with native Korean societies, the Chinese granted their leaders ceremonial offices and ranks, official seals, and ceremonial attire. These served as formal tokens of their submission to Nangnang’s authority as well as Chinese recognition of their independent status.
    Although Nangnang was the core area for Chinese colonial policy in Korea, severe political repression did not occur. The native populace rigidly opposed China’s colonial administration, and, as a result, the Chinese were forced to grant substantial political freedom to the populace whom they governed. Pyongyang, the center of Nangnang’s colonial administration, was transformed into a sumptuous, international city, and Chinese officials, merchants, and many others came to live there. The luxurious lifestyle of these Chinese, who boasted that they were colonial overlords, is evident in the burial objects found in the tombs in Pyongyang’s environs, items such as gold filigree work and superb pieces of lacquer.
    The indigenous Korean society was heavily influenced by the Chinese. Some natives became rich and grew accustomed to the Chinese way of life, which prompted class divisions. The class division in Old Chos ŏ n society is evident from its burial system in which living slaves are entombed with their dead masters. In Old Chos ŏ n’s two tombs, apparently built sometime between the eighth and seventh centuries BC , more than 140 slaves were buried alive with their dead masters in one, and more than 100 slaves were buried alive with their dead masters in the other.
    The presence of wealthy natives also prompted the need for the rich to protect their property. Thievery greatly increased, committed largely by Chinese merchants. The original code of law in Old Chos ŏ n consisted of eight articles, but, of these, only three stipulations are presently known. As in many other states in the ancient world, Old Chos ŏ n’s code of law followed the talion