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A History of the Early Korean Kingdom of Paekche, together with an annotated translation of The Paekche Annals of the Samguk sagi (Harvard East Asian Monographs)

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Dr. Jonathan Best is the foremost American expert on Baekje history and culture and his book on Baekje is an exhaustive study on its history. The book is divided into three main parts. The first is Dr. Best's evaluation of Baekje history, the second is his translation of the Baekje pongi (annal) of the Samguk Sagi (an exhaustive chronicle of the histories of Silla, Koguryo and Baekje compiled in the 12th century AD). The last section are a series of helpful appendixes.

Those that drift more the the "nationalistic" side of Korean history may not like this book because Dr. Best advocates a late 3rd century origin of the Baekje kingdom, rather than the traditional Korean view that the kingdom began in 18 B.C. Furthermore, in the section where he includes his interpretation of Baekje history, he often times gives primacy to the Japanese source Nihon Shoki, because it was compiled at an earlier date than the Samguk Sagi. This will not give traditional Korean historians much happiness, but is unavoidable given the dearth of primary sources of said kingdom.

In my opinion, this book is an excellent "primer" source for study into the Korean kingdom of Baekje and anyone else interested in the early history of Korea and/or the Korean Three Kingdoms period. I do believe, at times, Dr. Best's over relies on textual sources and not archaeological sources. There has been much accomplished in the field of Baekje, early Korean and Japanese archaeology that would have added more clarity, but much of it is not included in this book. Perhaps that could be an endeavor pursued by the next scholar who has a serious interest in Baekje history.

Since virtually all Japanese historians, explicitly or implicitly, accept the thesis that the Yamato Kingdom was established in the Japanese islands sometime during the fourth century, they want to believe that the Paekche and Silla kingdoms were established in the Korean peninsula also sometime during the fourth century. They, first of all, contend that the pre-fourth-century kingship chronology of Paekche and Silla recorded in the Samguk-sagi is a simple fabrication by Kim Pu-sik (1075-1151). Best also claims that the Samguk-sagi "places the foundations of Silla and Paekche at preposterously early dates." The Ledyard's postulation of Paekche being established by the Puyo refugees sometime in the twenty-year period between 352 and 372 (on the basis of a single historical fact that Puyo was destroyed by Murong Huang in 346) echoes the contentions of Japanese scholars, completely ignoring the extant Korean chronicles. [1]The Best's postulation of Paekche being established by the Puyo refugees sometime during the 82-year period between 290 and 372 (on the basis of a historical fact that Puyo was destroyed by Huang's father, Murong Hui, in 285) seems to be a rather simple extension on the theme of Ledyard. [2]
In 1994, I have contended that the early royal lineage of Paekche has to be shifted from a mere legend to history on the basis of two ancient Japanese chronicles, Shoku Nihongi (Nihongi Continued) and Shinsen Shojiroku (New Compilation of the Clan Register). [3] Best apparently has no alternative but to admit the fact that the Japanese sources dating to 791 CE and 815 CE do contain evidence revealing the contemporary existence of a king list for Paekche that would place the kingdom's foundation at an early time, and yet Best jumps to the conclusion that: "Since such a distorted chronological perspective was evidently credited in early-ninth-century Japan, it may be assumed that it was current and accepted much earlier on the Korean peninsula." [4]
Best further asserts that: "Neither the written nor the archeological record has yet provided definitive evidence that permits a significantly more precise dating for the establishment of Paekche than the period between 290 and 372." The latest archeological evidence suggests that the P'ungnap Earthen Wall in modern-day Seoul at the southern bank of Han River was constructed sometime before 23 CE. Examining the nature of various artifacts excavated from the site, archeologists conclude that the wall was likely to have been constructed for the Paekche's second capital of the period between 5 BCE-371 CE.
"A History of the Early Korean Kingdom of Paekche" would look much better without Part I, the "creative imagination" part, and only with Part II, a straightforward translation of the Samguk-sagi Annals of Paekche.
Wontack Hong, Professor Emeritus, Seoul National University

[1]Gari Ledyard, "Galloping Along with the Horseriders: Looking for the Founders of Japan," Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 1, Number 2, 1975.

[2]Best, History of Paekche, p. 26-7.

[3]Paekche of Korea and the Origin of Yamato Japan (Seoul: Kudara, 1994). Best simply presents what I have already wrote in 1944 without giving any credit for my original findings, and then states that "the concoction of Paekche's fabulously expanded king list had occurred long before the Samguk sagi was compiled."

[4]Best, History of Paekche, p. 10.

for scholars and people with an interest in early Korean history. Otherwise pretty dry. Lots of good info if you take the time to wade through.Wonder if this actually was a phd dissertation?? reads like one.