Koryŏ–Song Relations during the Reign of King Injong (1122–1146)

Abstract

The period of king Injong’s reign (the second quarter of the 12th century) was specially chosen to describe the history of Koryŏ–Song relations. Active contacts between the Korean state Koryŏ (918–1392) and the Chinese Song Empire (960–1279) began in the 11th century. They developed in several directions. First, it was an exchange of diplomatic missions of equal status: in peaceful years, states exchanged one or two embassies annually, and merchants who had a certain freedom of action and did not depend much on the political situation sometimes brought messages from the Song. Trade exchange developed more actively, including the neighboring state of Liao (907–1125), with which the Song conducted indirect trade through Koryŏ. The last direction was mutual trips of Buddhist monks and the exchange of religious literature. At the beginning of the 12th century, both states faced enormous difficulties in domestic politics: the uprisings of Lee Jagyŏm and Myoch’ŏn in Koryŏ, and Song Jiang and Fang La in Song. In addition, both states faced a serious external threat in the face of the Jin state (1115–1234), which in 1126 forced Koryŏ to recognize vassalage, and in 1127 tore off the northern territories from the Song, marking the beginning of the division into the epochs of the Northern and Southern dynasties. Song repeatedly asked Koryŏ to take its side against Jin, but the Korean king preferred to observe neutrality first, and then submit to the Jurchen state in order to avoid war. This attitude caused dissatisfaction with the Song government, but it had no way to influence the decisions of the Korean neighbor. Shortly after the final loss of the northern territories, the Southern Song practically ceased official diplomatic contacts with Koryŏ.

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