Goguryeo and King Gwanggaeto the Great고구려와 광개토대왕

Goguryeo was the northernmost of Korea's ancient Three Kingdoms, traditionally founded in 37 BC and lasting until 668 AD. At its peak it was the largest state in Korean history, ruling not just the northern half of the peninsula but vast stretches of Manchuria in today's northeast China. The king behind that expansion was Gwanggaeto the Great, who took the throne in 391 and spent his roughly two-decade reign conquering dozens of walled cities; by his death, Goguryeo controlled southern Manchuria and the northern and central Korean Peninsula. In 414 his son, King Jangsu, raised a granite stele about 6.4 meters (6.39 m) tall beside his tomb in Ji'an, on the Chinese side of the Yalu River. Its roughly 1,800 Chinese characters remain one of the most important primary sources on ancient Korea. Because Goguryeo's heartland lies outside modern South Korea, the kingdom is felt more than seen here — it is a wellspring of national pride, and the very name 'Korea' descends from Goryeo, a later dynasty named after it. Still, you can touch its traces near Seoul: hilltop forts on Achasan mark Goguryeo's old southern frontier, and a full-size replica of the great stele stands at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan.