@article{ART003388304},
author={Kim, Tai jin},
title={A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries},
journal={military history},
issn={1598-317X},
year={2026},
number={140},
pages={277-315}
TY - JOUR
AU - Kim, Tai jin
TI - A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries
JO - military history
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 140
PB - Military History Institute, MND
SP - 277
EP - 315
SN - 1598-317X
AB - This study evaluates the downfall of the three ancient kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula through the analytical framework of modern military science’s “Comprehensive Crisis Management” theory, the Joint Doctrine’s “Instruments of National Power (DIME: Diplomacy, Information, Military, Economy),” and André Beaufre’s “Indirect Strategy” from a diachronic and comparative perspective.
The analysis reveals that the collapses of Baekje and Goguryeo represented failures in external crisis management, primarily caused by an inability to prevent and prepare for the sophisticated indirect strategies of external adversaries. In contrast, the demise of Silla presents a textbook case of total crisis management failure stemming from internal systemic obsolescence and the dissolution of the state’s monopoly on legitimate violence. This terminal decline was characterized by the erosion of national goals over 170 years, a “strategic paradox” initiated by the Dokseo Sampumgwa civil service exam that weakened the martial elite, widespread tax evasion leading to fiscal depletion, the privatization of military forces, and a subsequent reliance on external security assistance (heteronomous security).
Furthermore, this paper reinterprets King Gyeongsun’s voluntary submission (Gwibu) to Goryeo during the final “Recovery Stage” not as a conventional military defeat, but as a “Strategic Regime Transition”—a political resolution and final instrument of crisis management aimed at preserving ethno-national continuity and millennium-old cultural assets. Ultimately, by analyzing the rise and fall of the three ancient kingdoms, this study offers practical and actionable implications for strengthening the comprehensive and preventive national security readiness of the Republic of Korea today, as it faces North Korea’s persistent erosive activities and China’s multi-dimensional “Unrestricted Warfare (Chohanjeon)” threats.
KW - Baekje’s Collapse;Goguryeo’s Collapse;Silla’s Submission (Gwibu);Crisis Management;Instruments of National Power (DIME);Indirect Strategy
DO -
UR -
ER -
Kim, Tai jin. (2026). A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries. military history, 140, 277-315.
Kim, Tai jin. 2026, "A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries", military history, no.140, pp.277-315.
Kim, Tai jin "A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries" military history 140 pp.277-315 (2026) : 277.
Kim, Tai jin. A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries. 2026; 140 : 277-315.
Kim, Tai jin. "A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries" military history no.140(2026) : 277-315.
Kim, Tai jin. A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries. military history, 140, 277-315.
Kim, Tai jin. A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries. military history. 2026; 140 277-315.
Kim, Tai jin. A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries. 2026; 140 : 277-315.
Kim, Tai jin. "A Comparative Study on the Crisis Management in the Process of the Downfall of the Three Kingdoms: Focusing on Changes in the Instruments of National Power (DIME) and the Indirect Strategies of Adversaries" military history no.140(2026) : 277-315.
