Goguryeo annals translated into English

'Goguryeo played fundamental role in makeup of Koreans today'

By Chung Ah-young

“Samguk Sagi” (The History of the Three Kingdoms) is the oldest extant history of the Silla, Goguryeo (Koguryo) and Baekje kingdoms, and the Unified Silla era of Korean history.

Among others, the history of Goguryeo is the hottest subject as it has become a contested ground of Korean and Chinese nationalism.

To help better understand Goguryeo’s role in East Asia, the English version of “The Koguryo Annals of the Samguk Sagi” has been published by the Academy of Korean Studies. The book was translated by Edward J. Shultz and Hugh H.W. Kang with Daniel C. Kane and Kenneth J. H. Gardiner.

As dean of the School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Shultz who has a great interest in Korean history said that there is a lack of primary sources on Korea in English, and the work is in line with efforts by a number of Western

scholars who have translated major sources such as “The Sourcebook of Korean Civilization” which was published in 1993.

“Continuing with that tradition Hugh Kang and I took up the translation of portions of the ‘Samguk Sagi’ and the fruit of this effort can be seen in this publication of the ‘Goguryeo Annals.’ This translation provides an immediate view into life in Goguryeo, as now much of the written record on Goguryeo can be found in one volume, the ‘Goguryeo Annals,’” Shultz said in an interview with The Korea Times.

The publication of “The Silla Annals” translated by Shultz will come out in December while “The Baekje Annals” was recently completed by Jonathan Best at Harvard University.

“Samguk Sagi” was compiled by Kim Bu-sik with other scholars after being commissioned by King Injong in 1145 during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) in an annals/biography-styled standard Chinese history text, comprising 50 volumes.

“The Koguryo Annals” is placed in the middle section of the entire history. Compared to “The Silla Annals,” which covers 705 years, it has slightly fewer pages, and provides a proportionally more detailed presentation and many more derivatives from Chinese sources than other annals.

As a Confucian scholar, statesman and military commander, Kim was one of the towering figures of the Goryeo period. “His training as a Confucian scholar coupled with his profound erudition made him a key leader in the 12th century. He well represents the spirit of his age,” Shultz said.

In the compilation of the history, there were several motives. It was to educate native literati in native history, to instruct them in the Korean past, and to provide them with Korean exemplars of Confucian virtues. This was crucial in a Confucian society where the value of the past was always found in the lessons it provided in guiding present politics.

The compilation of “Samguk Sagi” is seen in the context of the two imperatives — one political and one ideological — though the two were intimately linked. The earliest histories likely enhanced the authority of the monarchy by recording the mythical origins of the ruling house. In his time, similar prestige arose from the very act of compiling the history of the preceding dynasty, which lent an aura of legitimacy to the compiler especially when done so in the erudite language of China.

One implied motive of compiling the history was to promote Silla as the orthodox ruling kingdom of the peninsula and thus to solidify the legitimacy and prestige of the Goryeo state as Silla’s rightful successor.

With Goryeo’s uncertain and shaky start, the promotion of a Confucian outlook by the state became a vital aspect of the early monarchy’s integrity and strength.

One of the most noticeable features of “Samguk Sagi” is the commentary. Kim used “nonwol” (the commentary states), and his comments appear in 30-odd places throughout the work as a whole. Rather than following Chinese tradition by placing the commentaries at the end of each volume, Kim chose to insert them wherever he believed appropriate.

His commentaries seemed to intend either to elucidate problems of format or to appraise events in terms of their concordance with Confucian virtues. The most interesting part in the case of Goguryeo is the historian’s commentary at the conclusion of “The Koguryo Annals.” He attributes the fall of Goguryeo to the decay of moral leadership, thus passing Confucian judgment on the demise of that state and by consequence, putting Silla on the moral high ground.

Kim’s treatment of Gogureo’s foundation was the target of criticisms by Yi Kyubo in his own time and much later, by the Korean-nationalist historian Sin Chae-ho (1880-1936) for its omission of the more supernatural and mythological aspects of Goguryeo’s founding.

Kim also failed to include an account of the northern kingdom of Balhae, which is seen by later Korean nationalist historians as a betrayal due to his deference to Chinese might, and his acceptance of Korea’s limited and subservient role in the Chinese world order.

Nevertheless, through the annals, Goguryeo heroes, landscapes, nomenclature and traditions constitute an integral part of Korea’s past. “We can see with the first hand view, the triumphs and tragedies that confront most ages and in this case of Goguryeo. Certain heroes emerge in any history, and Goguryeo is no different in this respect. The customs and practices of Goguryeo along with a feeling for the geography of the land emerge as one reads the ‘Koguryo Annals.’ One can vividly feel the problems that confronted these people as well as the joys they found in their lives,” Shultz said.

“Goguryeo plays an important role in the history of East Asia. It served for centuries as a bridge between China and the rest of the peninsula and also a protector as China pushed out of the north China plain. The Goguryeo people were also the transmitters of northern traditions that continue to be found in Korea today. Goguryeo, just like Silla and Baekje, plays a fundamental role in the makeup of Koreans today,” he said.

Kim tried to find physical security and moral stability within the context of Northeast Asia dominated by the political and cultural influence of China and of a Korean monarchy being undermined by powerful aristocratic families and unorthodox doctrines. “The best way of reading the ‘Samguk Sagi’ is with a dual mind — one portion in the time it describes, other portion in the time it was written. Despite its shortcomings, in the final analysis we must recognize the ‘Samguk Sagi’ for the vital and invaluable historical source it is a rare window into a much-dimmed past,” Shultz concluded.