King Geunchogo： The Pinnacle of Baekje Power (Korean History)

Geun-cho-go was the 13th king of Baekje, one of the three kingdoms of Korea. Baekje lasted from 18 BC to the year 660 AD. It constituted, along Goguryeo and Silla, the three kingdoms of Korea. Geun-cho-go was the fourth son of the 11th king of Baekje called Biryu. He is a descendant of the fifth king of Baekje, King Cho-go. This is reflected in his name Geun-cho-go. Geun-cho-go means close to Cho-go. There was a rivalry between two royal factions and Geun-cho-go chose to reflect this by taking King Cho-go's name. This ended the alternating of the two royal lines of Baekje. King Geun-cho-go is mentioned in the Samguk Sagi. It is said that his body and countenance were unusually robust and he possessed far-reaching knowledge. He reigned from 346 to 375. Baekje's capital moved three times and that determined the era's name. Wirye-song, located in today's Seoul, was the first capital. Ungjin-song was the second and Sabi-song was the last capital of Baekje. Wirye-song was founded by Onjo, Jumong's son, in 18 BC. Jumong or Jumo was the founder of Goguryeo. Onjo was the founder of Baekje. He reigned from 18 BC to 28 AD. Geun-cho-go reigned when Baekje's capital was in Wirye-song. As soon as he became king, Geun-cho-go solidified his royal power. He set up a system of local governments with heads appointed by him. By doing so, the aristocracy lost decisional power in governmental affairs. Geun-cho-go married a woman from the Jin clan, a trend that his successors would follow. The Jin clan was a powerful noble clan of Baekje. They produced queens of Baekje, civil and military officers, as well as ministers. The Jin clan might also have a tie with the Japanese imperial line. Baekje's capital at the time was Wirye-song in present-day Seoul. As a matter of fact, it was Baekje's capital from its foundation to 18 BC up to 475 AD, at which time they were forced to relocate following Goguryeo's successive invasions. Baekje reached its greatest geographic extent and power under Geun-cho-go. He annexed the remaining Mahan tribes, taking over all of present-day Jeolla province. He made an alliance with Silla in 366. Gifts were sent, including two very good horses. That same year, a solar eclipse was recorded. King Geun-cho-go gained a lot of influence over the Gaya confederacies in the south of the peninsula. Baekje had maritime trade with China and Japan. Merchandise, books and ideas transited from China to Korea and then to Japan. Of course, there was also trade between the three kingdoms of Korea and Gaya. A diplomatic relationship was established with eastern Jin China and Yamato Japan. The Yamato emperor at the time was Emperor Nintoku. Geun-cho-go sent a diplomatic mission to the court of eastern Jin in 372. He was soon after given the title of General Stabilizing the East and the Administrator General of Lelan. The Lelan Commandery was one of the four commanderies set up by Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. Lelan Commandery was conquered by Goguryeo in 313. It was partially taken over by Baekje in 371, at which time Geun-cho-go would have been given a title by the Jin emperor. The land returned to Goguryeo around the year 375. Interestingly, that same year an earthquake was recorded in the Samguk Sagi. During Geun-cho-go's reign, the eastern Jin dynasty had five emperors. There is some controversy regarding the Jinpyeong Commandery in China, in the former province of Liaozi, where, some Korean historians believe, Baekje held at that time. Baekje might have also settled a part of the Shandong peninsula. It is mentioned in the Book of Song, the Book of Qi, and the Book of Lian. However, this seems odd to me because it would mean that Baekje needed to cross the sea to reach these exclaves and would also need to defend these territories. They already had to defend themselves against Goguryeo and Silla. Moreover, mentions of these exclaves do not appear in the Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa. Geun-cho-go sent to the Yamato king the Chiljido sword, the seven-branched sword. It is now housed in the Isonokami Shrine in Nara Prefecture. Koreans and Japanese historians don't agree on the year it was sent, as well as the interpretation of the characters engraved on the sword. In any case, it proves that there was diplomatic relationship between Baekje and Yamato. Scholars were sent to Yamato to spread Baekje's culture, Confucianism, and Chinese characters. It is rumored that an official history of Baekje was compiled under Geun-cho-go. It was titled Seogi and written by a scholar named Go-heung. He is mentioned in the Samguk Sagi. In the year 369, Goguryeo invaded Baekje in what is known as the Battle of Chiyan. King Gogu-gwon of Goguryeo attacked Chiyan, just north of Wirye-song, with an army of 20,000 composed of infantry and cavalry. Prince Geun-gu-su met Goguryeo's army in Chiyan. A deserter from Goguryeo told the Baekje generals that the Red Flag Army was the only army that was worthy and if Baekje attacks that army first, the rest of the Goguryeo army would collapse since it was composed of mainly untrained soldiers. Prince Geun-gu-su focused his attack on the Red Flag Division and defeated the Goguryeo army. Baekje captured over 5,000 soldiers. Two years later, in 371, Goguryeo attacked Baekje again. Geun-cho-go heard of this beforehand and was waiting for the Goguryeo army with his son Geun-gu-su. They easily defeated the opposing army and marched on Pyongyang with 30,000 soldiers. King Gogu-gwon of Goguryeo fought bravely in the Battle of Pyongyang, but he got hit by an arrow and died. Baekje's army didn't stay there though. They took and held Sugok Fortress and returned to their land. In the year 375, Goguryeo attacked Baekje at the fortress of Sugok. Baekje tried to keep it but failed. There was an attempt to raise an army to retake the fortress, but it also failed because there was a drought that year. Sadly for Baekje, King Geun-cho-go died that same year. Baekje would never again be that powerful and hold that much land. Geun-cho-go was depicted in the drama King Geun-cho-go, The King of Legend, produced by KBS. It ran for six months in 2010 and 2011 and had 60 episodes. Thanks for staying until the end. If you enjoyed this video and found it informative, please put a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel. Stay tuned for more videos on the rich history of Korea.