5세기 초·중반 동아시아 국제질서의 재편과 고구려의 외교정책 = Changes in the East Asian International Order in the early to mid-5th century, and Goguryeo’s Diplomatic policy

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Goguryeo’s policy in negotiating with China displayed a number of shifts in the early and mid-5th century. Till the early 420s it negotiated mainly with the Chinese Song(宋), then in the late 430s it began to seek out a relationship with the Northern Wei(Buk’wi, 北魏). And from the 440s, after severing its relationship with Buk’wi, Goguryeo again dealt with Song.
Recent studies seem to be interpreting all this as a result of Goguryeo’s intention to more effectively respond to specific threats coming from certain states such as Baekje or the Japanese Wae or of course Buk’wi. This is a perspective that views a state’s diplomatic policy as a tactic meant for a particular country or dynasty. Such perspective, however, may mislead us, and prevent us from seeing the true direction the Goguryeo policy was taking. In this article not only the Goguryeo state policy in foreign affairs but the international situations of the time as well are examined, and the result shows that Goguryeo was trying to navigate through the East Asian international situation as a whole, instead of trying to respond to individual threats.
Through the early half of the 420s, Goguryeo conducted active diplomatic negotiations with Song, in order to deal with the international order of East Asia led by Song at the time. Then it discontinued such efforts, as the dynasty had to transfer its capital to the Pyeong’yang region. Then in 435 when the Northern Yan(Buk’yeon)’s collapse became imminent, Goguryeo forged a tributary/appointment relationship with Buk’wi, in order to address the more clear and present danger represented by it. Buk’wi, on the other hand, used its newly established amicable relationships with nearby states as a strategic asset in its policy of ‘uniting the region above the Yellow river,’ and continued its campaigns even after succeeding to do so. Goguryeo had no other choice but to reopen negotiations with Song or Rouran(Yuyeon) to face Buk’wi’s threat. So it negotiated with Song the prospect of mediated trades brokered by itself, and conducted trades with Southeast Asian countries or even Tuyuhun (Toyokhon) in the West, using the international network established by Song.