THE ACCOUNTS OF MILBON, HYET’ONG AND
MYÖNGNANG IN THE SAMGUK YUSA
Pol Vanden Broucke† (Ghent),
edited by Sem Vermeersch (Keimyung, Daegu)- Introduction
Between the fourth and seventh centuries the Korean peninsula was
basically ruled by three kingdoms. The three kingdoms or Samguk
were those of Kogury ö in the north, Paekche in
the southwest, and Silla in the southeast.^1 In 668 the greater part
of the peninsula, more particularly the territory south of the Taedong
River, was uni ed into the Silla kingdom. This dynasty is usu-
ally called T’ongil Silla , meaning Uni ed Silla, and lasted
till 935.^2
According to the oldest surviving of cial history of Korea, the Samguk
sagi (Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms) compiled
in 1145 by the Confucian scholar Kim Pusik (1075–1151),
Buddhism was transmitted to Korea from China during the Korean
Three Kingdoms period.^3 According to this source Buddhism reached
Koguryö in 372 when Sundo arrived at the court with stras and
Buddhist images.^4 He was sent by the ruler of the Earlier Qin
(351–394) in Northeastern China to enter into an alliance with Koguryö
against the northern tribes. Buddhism is said to have been introduced
(^1) In addition there was Kaya , a federation of several tribal states along the
lower reaches of the Naktong 2 River in the south.
T’ongil does not imply that the whole peninsula was uni ed. To the north of Silla
lay the kingdom of Parhae founded by Tae Choy öng , a former Kogury ö
general. For a comprehensive study of Parhae, see Reckel 1995. Also, in the late ninth
century Uni ed Silla lost control over the northern and southwestern parts of the
peninsula, which was effectively divided into three kingdoms again; Koryö, founded in
918, eventually carried the day, absorbing Silla in 935 and Later Paekche in 936. 3
On the introduction of Buddhism in Korea, see Grayson 1989, pp. 30–33; Vos
1977, pp. 133–134; Kamata 1987, pp. 9–22; Buswell 1989a, pp. 151–153; Lancaster
& Yu 1989; Kim Y. 1995, pp. 37–74.
(^4) See the section on the second year of King Sosurim’s reign in the Samguk sagi,
Yi P. 1996, p. 166. On the introduction of Buddhism into Koguryö, see Tamuro
1985, pp. 3–6.