• Journal title: International Journal of Korean History
• ISSN: 1598-2041 (print) 2508-5921 (online)
• Publisher: Korea University, Center for Korean History
• Country of publisher: korea, republic of
• Date added to EuroPub: 2018/May/12

• LCC Subject Category: History
• Publisher's keywords: Reasons for the controversy on Koguryd, Chinese expansion, future of North Korea, Chinese-American Economic Relations, Reunification of Korea
• Language of fulltext: english
• Full-text formats available: PDF

Maurizio Riotto

• Double blind peer review
• Editorial Board
• Aims and scope
• Instructions for authors
• Time From Submission to Publication: 8

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The following article is intended as a slightly modified version of the paper I presented at the ISKS (International Society for Korean Studies) workshop on the Dongbei Gongcheng and Koguryŏ, which was held in Vancouver (University of British Columbia) from August 11th to August 13th 2008. As a short study, an expression of my own personal conviction, this comment is basically a preliminary survey on a particularly delicate issue, or rather a controversy that is gradually edging its way into the field of academic study, as a result of the incentive of a number of scholars, who, I believe, are largely speaking in good faith. This is to some extent unavoidable, given the delicate equilibrium existing among the countries involved in the controversy. I feel I can safely say this paper reaches a conclusion with which many Koreans agree, but which simply “cannot” be discussed, or at least not on formal occasions. Meanwhile, as an individual super partes, I have chosen to approach the problem from a political perspective rather than from a strictly academic point of view. Naturally, any conclusions I may draw are to be considered entirely subjective - in other words, nothing other than a scholarly hypothesis. In any case, this paper concentrates on a topic hitherto neglected by the greater part of the bibliography dealing with the controversy on Koguryŏ, or simply the motives behind the controversy itself. Inevitably, in order to solve a problem, the causes need to be primarily identified. An attempt to identify the nature of the origins of the controversy on Koguryŏ is the purpose of this paper, as well as, hopefully, providing some insight into a possible solution.