Publication of "Rewriting Gwanggaeto the Great and Jangsu"

'Gwanggaeto the Great and Jangsu Wang Rewritten'/Photo by Nonhyeong

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The book "Rewriting King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu" (authors Lee Seok-yeon, Jeong Jae-su, published by Nonhyeong), which contains the history of Goguryeo not recorded in the "Samguk Sagi," has been published. It sheds light on the undiscovered history of the peak Goguryeo era during the reigns of King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu.

The book was co-authored by constitutional scholar and lawyer Lee Seok-yeon (former head of the Legislative Office) and historical columnist Jeong Jae-su. The authors state, "Let us erase all the history we have known so far about King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu." "Rewriting King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu" is, literally, a new compendium of history that cannot be explained by existing historical knowledge.

The book is largely based on the extensive records of "Goguryeo Saryak," which was transcribed by Mr. Park Chang-hwa from Namdang during the Japanese colonial period at the Japanese Imperial Library (Seoreungbu). "Goguryeo Saryak" is presumed to be the historical text "Yugi" on Goguryeo history, which was only passed down through records in the "Samguk Sagi." The records of King Gwanggaeto are the "Gukgangho Taewanggi" and "Yeongnak Daejegi," and the records of King Jangsu are the "Jangsu Daejegi."

The book is divided mainly into sections on King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu. King Gwanggaeto's section covers relics and sites related to his conquest projects based on a new interpretation of the "Gwanggaeto Stele," while King Jangsu's section focuses on relics and sites related to his defensive projects based on various diplomatic efforts.

"Goguryeo Saryak" contains all eight conquest project records inscribed on the "Gwanggaeto Stele" that were not recorded in the "Samguk Sagi." By comparing the "Goguryeo Saryak" records, the book corrects misreadings of the characters on the "Gwanggaeto Stele" inscription and restores a significant number of missing characters.

In particular, based on the funeral records in "Goguryeo Saryak," the book identifies all the owners of the royal tomb-level Goguryeo tomb clusters in Jilin Province's Jip'an area. These include about 20 confirmed royal family members, aristocrats, and some nobles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.