[History Lives On – Goguryeo Series] Episode 4: The Capital Moves to Gungnae – From Plains to Mountain Fortress
In 3 CE, while Emperor Augustus’s Pax Romana stretched across the Mediterranean, a smaller but no less ambitious kingdom in Northeast Asia made a fateful decision that would echo for four centuries.
King Yuri of Goguryeo relocated his capital from the mountainous Jolbon (modern Huanren) to Gungnae along the middle Yalu River (modern Ji’an). This wasn’t merely a change of address—it was a strategic masterstroke that balanced security with growth, defense with prosperity.
What can this ancient capital relocation teach us about urban planning, national security, and the eternal tension between safety and development? As modern nations debate decentralization and capital cities, Goguryeo’s solution offers surprising insights.
🌍 Western Historical Parallel
When Goguryeo moved its capital in 3 CE, Rome was transitioning from Augustus to Tiberius. Like Constantine’s later decision to move Rome’s capital to Constantinople (330 CE), Goguryeo’s relocation combined strategic defense with economic opportunity. Both sought to escape established power structures while securing frontiers against “barbarian” threats—the Germans for Rome, the Xiongnu and Xianbei for Goguryeo.
◆ The Ancient Landscape
The turn of the millennium was turbulent across Eurasia. As the Western Han Dynasty crumbled in China and Wang Mang seized power to establish his short-lived Xin Dynasty, northern nomadic confederations—the Xiongnu and Xianbei—competed for supremacy on the steppe.
Goguryeo, founded in 37 BCE by Jumong, had maintained its capital at Jolbon in the Hun River valley (near modern Huanren, China). But the kingdom faced constant pressure: Buyeo to the north and the Han commanderies to the south. Trapped in narrow mountain valleys, Goguryeo’s growth was constrained. A strategic repositioning became imperative.
“When the sacrificial pig escaped to Winaarn in Gungnae, the minister Seolji pursued it and returned to report: ‘Winaarn has formidable terrain, fertile soil, abundant crops, and rich supplies of fish and salt. It is suitable for establishing the capital.'”
– Source: Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), Records of Goguryeo, Year 21 of King Yuri (2 BCE)
◆ Same Era, Different Worlds
🏛️ Roman Empire
Augustan Pax Romana (27 BCE-14 CE). Tiberius succeeding as emperor. Mediterranean dominance.
🗿 China
Western Han collapse. Wang Mang’s Xin Dynasty (9-23 CE). Period of instability—opportunity for Goguryeo.
⚔️ Nomadic World
Xiongnu decline, Xianbei rise. Steppe power transitions creating regional instability.
🌏 Korean Peninsula
Three Kingdoms formation. Baekje under King Onjo, Silla under King Yuri. Regional competition intensifying.
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⚔️ Late Autumn, 3 CE: Gungnae
King Yuri stood on a hill overlooking the Yalu River. Before him stretched a vast plain, incomparably more spacious than Jolbon’s narrow mountain valleys. “Here we can feed an army of ten thousand,” his minister Seolji observed. The king’s gaze shifted northward to a towering peak—676 meters high, its rocky crags forming a natural screen around the proposed capital.
“In peacetime, here on the plains. In wartime, up in that fortress.” It was Yuri’s decision that would define Goguryeo’s unique urban system: a dual structure of plains city and mountain fortress. Prospering in peace through trade and agriculture, transforming into an impregnable citadel under threat. This innovative arrangement would protect Goguryeo for four centuries—comparable to how Constantinople’s walls would later defend the Byzantine Empire for a millennium.
◆ Uncovering Historical Truth
The Samguk Sagi attributes the decision to an escaped sacrificial pig—a narrative device common in ancient chronicles. Like Constantine’s vision of the cross before the Battle of Milvian Bridge, such divine signs often legitimized predetermined strategic choices. The reality was calculated geopolitics.
First: Security advantage. Gungnae’s location distanced Goguryeo from Han commandery threats while maintaining defensible terrain. The Yalu River and its tributary Tonggou River formed natural moats, while Mount Hwando (676m) provided a mountain redoubt—similar to how medieval European castles combined lowland administrative centers with hilltop fortifications.
Second: Economic value. The Ji’an basin offered the region’s most extensive flatlands—called “Little Jiangnan” for its agricultural productivity. Control of Yalu River networks enabled trade expansion toward the Okjeo granaries and facilitated waterborne commerce. This parallels how European cities like Paris or London leveraged river systems for economic dominance.
Third: Political transformation. Moving from Jolbon (Sono clan territory) to Gungnae allowed King Yuri to escape entrenched aristocratic power structures and consolidate royal authority—not unlike how Peter the Great would later build St. Petersburg to break free from Moscow’s boyar influence.
Relocation Date
3 CE (Year 22 of King Yuri)
Capital Duration
~400 years (until 427 Pyongyang relocation)
Urban Structure
Gungnae (plains) + Hwando Fortress (mountain)
Wall Perimeters
Gungnae: 2.7km / Hwando: 6.95km
🔍 Academic Debate: Dating the Relocation
Traditional View (King Yuri Era)
Following Samguk Sagi, relocation occurred in 3 CE. Initial settlement at Winaarn (possibly Huanren’s Wunü Mountain) before moving to Ji’an.
Revisionist View (King Sangsang Era)
Recent archaeology found no pre-3rd century artifacts at Ji’an. Suggests actual relocation to Ji’an occurred in 198 CE when Hwando Fortress was constructed.
💡 Consensus: Regardless of exact timing, the dual plains-mountain defense system represents Goguryeo’s groundbreaking urban innovation.
📖 Key Terms Explained
- Gungnae (國內城)
- Plains city serving as Goguryeo’s administrative and economic center. Modern Ji’an, Jilin Province, China.
- Hwando Fortress (丸都城)
- Mountain fortress (676m elevation, 6.95km perimeter) used during wartime. Also called Wunü Mountain Fortress.
- Han Commanderies (漢四郡)
- Four Chinese administrative districts established 108 BCE in northern Korea after conquering Gojoseon. Threat to early Goguryeo.
- Dual Defense System
- Goguryeo’s innovative urban arrangement combining a plains capital for peacetime prosperity with a nearby mountain fortress for wartime defense.
[Diagram: Goguryeo’s innovative urban system—balancing security with development]
◆ Lessons for Today’s World
In 2012, South Korea inaugurated Sejong City as an administrative capital, relocating nine ministries from Seoul. The debate continues: should the National Assembly follow? Goguryeo’s experience offers historical perspective on capital decentralization.
Modern parallels abound: Brasília replacing Rio as Brazil’s capital (1960), Canberra chosen over Sydney/Melbourne (1913), Washington, D.C. created as a compromise capital (1790). Like Goguryeo, these relocations sought to balance competing interests—regional equity, national security, and administrative efficiency.
Goguryeo’s innovation wasn’t merely moving the capital but creating a dual system. Rather than choosing between Seoul’s established infrastructure and Sejong’s planned efficiency, might Korea’s solution echo ancient wisdom—complementary cities serving different functions, much as Gungnae and Hwando once did?
| Aspect | Goguryeo Era | Modern Parallel |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Structure | Dual plains-mountain system | Seoul-Sejong dual capitals / Washington D.C.-state capitals |
| Primary Goal | Balance security with economic growth | Balance congestion with balanced development |
| Core Tension | Survival vs. expansion | Efficiency vs. equity |
📚 Diving Deeper
- UNESCO World Heritage: Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Goguryeo Kingdom (inscribed 2004). Includes Gungnae, Hwando Fortress, and royal tombs.
- Archaeological Breakthrough: 2000s excavations at Ji’an revealed no pre-3rd century artifacts at the stone-walled Gungnae, challenging traditional chronology.
- Military Architecture: Hwando Fortress used pentagonal wedge-shaped stones—a unique Goguryeo technique also found at other sites, serving as architectural “fingerprints.”
The Voice of Living History
King Yuri’s decision in 3 CE transcended mere capital relocation. It embodied Goguryeo’s national strategy: simultaneously pursuing security and development, tradition and innovation. The dual plains-mountain system protected the kingdom for four centuries, enabling the golden ages of King Gwanggaeto and King Jangsu.
“Cities are not built with stone and timber alone.
They are built with vision and strategy.”
— Gungnae’s message to the 21st century
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Episode 3: King Taejo’s Great Transformation – Birth of a Conquest State
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Episode 5: King Gogukcheon’s Reforms – Royal Authority and State Building
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