The Korean wars and East Asia in the seventh century

Abstract

Except for the first half of the 20th century, probably no period in the whole of East Asian History ever saw confrontations between the various countries in the region taking place on such a large scale and lasting for such a long time as the "Korean Wars" in the 7th century (hereafter 'the Wars'). The military conflicts began at the end of the 6th century, and intermittent battles did not end until the last quarter of the 7th century. Five Chinese rulers of three different dynasties - the Sui, the Tang and the Zhou - took part, two of them actually commanding the troops in person. NO of the three Korean states were eventually destroyed, and the political map of the Korean peninsula and the region north of it was redrawn. Even Japan was involved and sent large number of troops to the mainland of Asia, one of the very few occasions before modern times in which this was done. Some aspects of the wars are well-known, though in different manners to people of the countries involved. The Chinese have long regarded the campaigns against Koguryo, the state covering the northern part of the Korean peninsula and the region to its north, as one of the major reasons for the fall of the Sui dynasty. The part played by Xue Renqui, one of the Tang generals taking part in the expeditions against 'Liao' -the term used by the Chinese for Koguryo which bordered the River Liao - has also been a popular theme for novelists and dramatists of later periods. For the Koreans, legends of the tragic end of Paekche, the state occupying the south-western part of the Korean peninsula, are still current, whereas Kim Yusin and KCh'unch'u, the major architects of a strong Silla, the other Korean state which finally triumphed over its neighbours, have also been glorified by both past and modern historians for their role in the first 'unification' of Korea. Few Japanese have not heard of the Battle of Hakusuki no E - the Japanese equivalent for River Paek where the Yamato navy suffered defeat by the allied troops of Tang and Paekche - it was not until the invasion of the Mongols in the 13th century that Japan had another war with a foreign power. Show more