| Shim Baek-kang, president of the Korea National Culture Research Center, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Lee Han-na
Southeast Asia, and Vietnam in particular, is becoming an important region of growth and development that has Korean corporations and education institutions seeking investments and cooperation.
The amity between the two countries is expected to increase further in tandem ― and the closeness between the two countries may well hail from the historical commonalities the two peoples share, a passionate historian of early Korean history and Chinese characters opined.
According to historian Shim Baek-kang, the president of the Korea National Culture Research Center in Seoul, Korea and Vietnam are brothers and sisters by blood, sharing an origin from the Maek tribe.
| A copy of 'Complete Book of Historical Record of Great Viet' by Ngo Li Sien. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
His statement is based on resemblances in documents and traditional Chinese characters. In "Complete Book of Historical Record of Great Viet" (1479) by Ngo Si Lien, Vietnam's first kingdom starts with the Hung King. The father of the king, Lac Long Quan, shows how Vietnam is rooted in the Maek tribe with the traditional Chinese character of Lac meaning "Maek."
Another finding is that there is much resemblance between the two countries' first kingdoms ― Van Lang of Vietnam (2879-258 B.C.) and Gojoseon of Korea (2333 to 100 B.C.). The father of Korea's first king, Hwanung shares the same character with the Hung kings of Vietnam which also means "Maek tribe" suggesting how both countries are rooted from the same tribe. Both kingdoms also lasted for 2000 years with 18 monarchs from Hung King and Hwanung respectively – with Gojoseon having 19 other succeeding monarchs.
| Figure depicting the resemblance of the traditional Chinese characters of the two kingdoms By Lee Han-na |
The Maek tribe dates back to around 5000 B.C. in Hongshan, Chifeng, located in today's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of North China. In 1908, archaeologists began digging up remains of an ancient civilization including a royal tomb, sacrificial altar and ancestral shrine showing a formally structured civilization. These date back roughly 2000 years earlier than the Chinese Han tribe, laying the ground for the premise that Maek is the first and the oldest tribe being the origin of later tribes.
Several documents mention how Koreans are from the Maek tribe. Gojoseon was called Bal Joseon where Bal is used interchangeably with Maek. According to the work "Classic of Mountains and Rivers," the oldest geology text in East Asia, Buyeo (a country that emerged a century before the fall of Gojoseon) was inhabited by a Maek tribe. Goryeo's other name was also Maek with its ancient arrows being referred to as "Maek arrows."
Aside from the bloodline, the Maek tribe is recognized by its culture of worshipping the sun with totems and spiritual bird emblems.
Chinese domination has resulted in the destruction and loss of ancient documents of both countries including the "Historical Record of Great Viet" (1272) written by Le Van Huu, which was a base for Ngo Si Lien's history book. However, at several historical sites, Maek's bird totems are still seen, especially at the Temple of Literature, a Confucian temple in Hanoi.
However, many countries still see the tales of Hwanung and Lac Long Quan as mythical stories since they may well be exaggerated to symbolize spiritual dominance and power.
The famous tale of how the bear won over the tiger through persistence in becoming a human by eating garlic and mugwort and marrying Dangun tells us how Gojoseon began. Meanwhile, there are tales about 100 children of Lac Long Quan with Au Co and how the children started different tribes and countries in Vietnam. These mythical stories hinder the historical aspects. Despite that, the statement of Shim is powerful considering the current situation of Korea and Vietnam.
Both cultures and foods attract each other. On April 6, a Vietnamese version of the highly popular television reality show "Running Man" will be aired as a joint production of the two countries.
Business-wise, Korea, along with Japan, is one of the top two providers of foreign direct investment in Vietnam. The new chief executive of Shinhan Financial Group also shared on March 26 his ambition to invest "aggressively" into Vietnam. In April, SK Group also plans to invest about 10 million dollars in Vin group, the top private enterprise in Vietnam.
For President Moon Jae-in's government, Vietnam is an important partner of co-prosperity in its New Southern Policy. Rep. Lee Hae-chan of Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea headed off to Vietnam to have meetings with the corresponding ruling party and sign a memorandum of understanding strengthening diplomatic relations.
Likewise in all aspects of diplomatic relations, business and culture, Vietnam is an important partner and friend of the nation. If both countries share the same origin, making Koreans and Vietnamese a family, it would strengthen emotional and psychological ties between the countries.
Historian Shim is also a writer who has more than 20 publications. He studied traditional Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University and earned his doctorate in history from Yanbian University in China.
You can read more articles on Shim's earlier findings as well as his interview with the Korea Times.
Lee Han-na is a Korea Times intern.
Korean Language
'한.베트남 우호의 기반은 맥족’
최근 한국과 베트남은 여러 방면에서 우호적인 관계를 이어 오고 있다. 많은 기업들과 업체들이 베트남으로 눈을 돌리고 있는 가운데 베트남과 한국의 혈통이 같다는 주장이 나왔다.
민족문화연구원 심백강 원장은 1479년 오사련에 의해 편찬된 대월사기전서에서 베트남 또한 맥족의 후손이라는 사실을 발견했다고 밝혔다.
대월사기전서 제 1권에 의하면 맥룡군 (?龍君) 이 100명의 아들을 낳고 그 중 웅왕이 18대손까지 2000년 동안 왕국을 이었다고 기록되어 있는데 이 기록은 고조선과 많은 유사점이 있다.
두 나라의 첫 왕국인 베트남의 문랑국(2879-258 B.C.)의 웅왕과 고조선의 환웅은 모두 18대손 까지 통치 했다는 것이다.
문랑국가의 왕들은 웅왕이라 일컬었는데 웅왕(雄王)의 ‘웅(雄)’ 자는 고조선 단군의 아버지 환웅(桓雄)의 ‘웅(雄)’자와 같다.
베트남 첫 왕국의 혈통 또한 맥족에서 비롯됐다고 주장인데, 한국이 맥족에서 비롯됐다는 증거는 훨씬 더 많은 편이다. 동양의 가장 오래 된 지리서 산해경에서는 부여는 맥족이라고 기록 되어 있다. 고구려의 별칭 또한 ‘맥궁’이라는 활의 호칭에서 알 수 있듯이 맥이였고 고조선 또한 발조선이라 불렸었다.
맥족의 문명은 내몽골 적봉시 홍산에서 기원되어 약 8000년 전으로 거슬러 올라간다. 1908년부터 발굴된 여러 유적들에서 건국의 상징물인 왕릉, 제단과 사당이 나왔는데 이것은 한 족의 기원보다 2000년 정도 이른 것으로 추정된다.
맥족은 태양을 숭배하던 족속으로 여러 족속의 뿌리로 알려져 있다. 가장 잘 알려진 족속으로 예맥족과 한족이 있는데 예맥족은 예수(濊水) 강가에 자리잡은 맥족을 뜻한다.
심백강 원장은 또한 예맥족과 동이족에 관해 혈통으로 말하면 예맥족이고 문화적으로 말하면 동이족이라 설명했다. 여기서 동이족 또한 동쪽 동 자를 써서 태양이 뜨는 곳으로 맥족임을 상징한다고 덧붙였다.
후려조(1428-1789 B.C.)때 편찬된 대월사기전서는 명나라의 공격에 의해 없어진 려운후의 대월사기(1272)의 후속 편찬으로 현재는 한남문화연구원과 일본과 프랑스에 소장 되어있다. 명나라의 침략으로 한국과 베트남 두 국가의 많은 문서들이 사라진 상황이지만 새를 토템으로 여긴 맥족 베트남의 유적들은 남아 있다.
공자를 모시는 건물 하노이 문묘 즉 공자사당 앞에는 새의 동상들이 세워져 있다. 또한 매년 음력 3월 첫째주 에서 둘째주는 약 1500명의 베트남 시민들이 웅왕에게 제사를 드리는 날로 2012년 유네스코에도 등재된 바 있다.
4월 9일에는 베트남판 ‘런닝맨’이 방영 될 정도로 베트남과 한국은 활발한 문화 교류를 이루고 있다. 특히 문재인 정부의 ‘신남방’ 정책으로 많은 관심들이 베트남에 몰린 가운데 심백강 원장의 연구는 베트남과 한국의 외교와 교류에 긍정적 영향을 줄 것으로 예상된다.