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Development of Local Polities in the Western Gyeonggi Region and Their Relations with Neighboring Regions

  • Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • 2026, 83(1), pp.9~44
  • Publisher : Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : February 2, 2026
  • Accepted : February 10, 2026
  • Published : February 28, 2026

Han Jisun 1

1서울대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study examines the growth process of regional polities in the western Gyeonggi region, located along the lower reaches of the Han River and the west coast of Korea, and their relationships with surrounding polities. By reviewing existing scholarship on these regional polities, this paper highlights the necessity of viewing the region as a historical subject and suggests key points for future discussion. The western Gyeonggi region can be categorized into three areas based on natural topography—Gimpo-Ganghwa, Northern Incheon, and Southern Incheon—each hosting regional polities that utilized mounded burials (bungu-myo). This study primarily analyzes the Unyang-dong site in Gimpo and the Yeonhui-dong site in Incheon to compare the two groups and identify the characteristics of mounded burials in the region. The Unyang-dong group spearheaded the growth of the western Gyeonggi region from the mid-2nd century, interring prestige goods such as gold earrings and a significant quantity of ironware into large-scale mounded burials. In the 3rd century, while several cemetery sites began to be formed across the western Gyeonggi region, including the Yeonhui-dong site, the Unyang-dong site showed a gradual decline. Furthermore, a chronological trend was identified in which the quantity of iron burial goods decreased while pottery offerings and related rituals increased, suggesting a shift in exchange networks or methods of status expression. In historical studies, the prevailing view associates these western Gyeonggi polities with the Biryu group in Samguk Sagi (三國史記) or Sinbungo-guk in Sanguozhi (三國志). However, one must be cautious of simplistic interpretations that establish a one-to-one correspondence between specific archaeological sites and the small states or historical events recorded in written sources. Nevertheless, the dynamic relationship between the Chinese commanderies and Han (韓) society during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, as revealed in the “Han” section of Sanguozhi, can serve as a valid framework for interpreting the material culture of the western Gyeonggi region. It is also necessary to move beyond the perspective of unilateral absorption and centralized consolidation by Baekje, instead positioning the western Gyeonggi polities as active agents to clarify their multifaceted relationships with surrounding powers. Accordingly, this paper proposes two areas for further research: the networks between regional polities in the southern Gyeonggi and Chungcheong regions, and the patterns of mutual exchange with central Baekje. In the case of the former, it was confirmed that the region was connected to southern Gyeonggi and the Gokgyo-cheon Basin of Chungcheong through distribution networks of Jinhan and Byeonhan style iron weapons and agate beads. In the case of the latter, the morphological features of pottery lids suggest the possibility of mutual influence between central Baekje and the western Gyeonggi region. The growth of the Baekje state was a product of a dynamic history shaped by regional polities competing and cooperating through their respective networks. Therefore, rather than viewing Baekje as the sole subject and peripheral forces as mere objects, the reality of early Baekje history can be better understood by simultaneously considering the patterns of growth and decline of each regional polity.

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