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Concept
Korean imperial titles
Summary
Imperial titles were used in various historical Korean states before the 14th century and at the turn of the 20th century: Early Korean states used "great king", "greatest king", and "holy king"; later Korean states used "emperor". Korean monarchs who used imperial titles had political and religious authority over a realm or domain. The Chinese concept of tianxia, pronounced "cheonha" in Korean, was variously adopted and adapted to Korean views of the world from period to period.
The 5th century was a period of great interaction on the Korean Peninsula that marked the first step toward the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The earliest known tianxia view of the world in Korean history is recorded in Goguryeo epigraphs dating to this period.
Dongmyeong of Goguryeo was a god-king, the Son of Heaven, and his kingdom was the center of the world. As the descendants of the Son of Heaven, the kings of Goguryeo were the Scions of Heaven (), who had supreme authority and sacerdotally intermediated between Heaven and Earth. The Goguryeo concept of tianxia was significantly influenced by the original Chinese concept, but its foundation laid in Dongmyeong. In contrast to the Chinese tianxia, which was based on the Mandate of Heaven, the Goguryeo tianxia was based on divine ancestry. As Goguryeo became centralized, Dongmyeong became the state god of Goguryeo. His worship was widespread among the people, and the view that Goguryeo was the center of the world was not limited to the royal family and aristocracy. Dongmyeong was worshiped well into the Goryeo period of Korea; Yi Gyubo said "Even unlettered country folk can tell the tale of King [Dongmyeong]."
Goguryeo was an authority unto itself. It had an independent sphere of influence in Northeast Asia for more than 200 years around the 5th and 6th centuries. Goguryeo viewed itself as the Land of the Scion of Heaven and viewed its neighboring states of Baekje, Silla, and Eastern Buyeo as tributary states. Together, they constituted a Goguryeo tianxia.
Official source
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