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Southern and Northern States and Buddhism
Period 6th~7th century CE to 9th century CE Main Events Koguryo˘ Sui War (612), Fall of Paekche (660), Fall of Koguryo˘ (668), Foundation of Parhae (Balhae) (698), Construction of Pulguksa (Bulguksa) Temple (755) World Establishment of Islam by Muhammad (610), Foundation of the Tang Dynasty (618), Frankish Empire unified by Charlemagne (771)
East Asia in Turmoil The expansion of Silla to the area around the Han River intensified the tripartite conflict between the three kingdoms. Meanwhile, the unification of China by the Sui Dynasty (589~618) and its open threat to invade Koguryo˘, rendered the political situation in East Asia more complex, increasing the possibility of an international war. The first invasion of Koguryo˘ by Sui took place in 598, and further invasions designed to break up Koguryo˘’s political influence upon the region ensued. The largest invasion took place in 612 when the Sui emperor Yangdi led a vast army of over one million men, only to encounter a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Korean kingdom whose entire population numbered no more than 3.5 million. The Chinese campaign to conquer Koguryo˘ was continued in 645 by the Tang Dynasty, successor to the Sui Dynasty. The Tang invasions were also effectively repelled by the brave army of Koguryo˘. The repeated failure of its efforts to subdue Koguryo˘ led Tang to seek an alliance with Silla. Silla was acutely aware of the significance of such a breakthrough which was essential for overcoming the military pressure of Paekche and Koguryo˘.
The Period of Southern and Northern States In 660, Silla’s 50,000-strong army crossed the border into Paekche while a 130,000strong Tang force struck Paekche from the West Sea. The allied forces swept into the capital of Paekche and subjugated the entire kingdom (660). The Silla Tang allies then pushed northward and continued a series of full-scale attacks on Koguryo˘ for eight more years. The kingdom of Koguryo finally fell in 668. For Silla, the fall of Koguryo˘ meant the end of the peninsular war, but for Tang it represented a stepping stone to realize its hidden agenda, namely the colonization of the entire peninsula. Fiercely opposed to any such move, Silla entered the war with Tang while supporting the movement for the restoration of Koguryo˘. The struggle between Silla and Tang continued for eight more years until 676, whereupon Silla finally drove the Tang forces out of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, following victories in battles fought both on land and at sea. In the meantime, a former Koguryo˘ general named Tae Choyo˘ng (Dae Joyeong) led a military expedition against Tang, and founded Parhae in 698 in the former Koguryo˘ territory. His new kingdom was joined by the surviving members of the Koguryo˘ elite. Parhae succeeded in recovering most of the territory that had been under the rule of Koguryo˘ before it fell in 668. With the final victory of Silla and Parhae in the war with Tang, the Korean people were able to retain the territory of the Three Kingdoms in Manchuria and on the Korean Peninsula in their tight grip, thereby maintaining their political and cultural independence from China.
The wars staged in East Asia in the late 7th century may well be remembered as the Great East Asian Wars. The fall of Paekche led Japan to form a backing force to support the Paekche Restoration Movement. The Battle of Paekch’on River in 663 between the joint SillaTang army and the Japanese forces resulted in the crippling defeat of the latter.
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Southern and Northern States and Buddhism │ Koguryo˘ warriors on horseback depicted in tomb murals