Lintun Commandery

Lintun Commandery
Estimated location of the Lintun Commandery.
Chinese name
Chinese臨屯郡
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLíntún jùn
Korean name
Hangul임둔군
Hanja臨屯郡
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationImdun-gun
McCune–ReischauerImtun-kun
Lintun Commandery (pink) alongside the other Han commanderies in the region (100 BCE).

Lintun Commandery was a commandery established in the Korean Peninsula by the Chinese Han dynasty. Lintun Commandery was one of the Four Commanderies of Han along with Lelang Commandery, Xuantu Commandery and Zhenfan Commandery.

History

In BCE 108, Lintun Commandery was established as part of Youzhou by Han dynasty. This commandery was formed by 15 prefectures and its border is almost the same as the current Gangwon Province. Dongyi (Hanja: 東暆) prefecture (present-day Gangneung City), the main office for this commandery was about 2400 km away from Chang'an. In 82 BCE, 9 prefectures out of 15 had been abolished and 7 prefectures including Fuzu/Bujo (Hanja: 夫租) prefecture were incorporated to Lelang Commandery. At this point, Lintun Commandery was disappeared from history.

Administrative area

Administrative area of Lintun Commandery
NameCharactersPresent locationRemarks
Dongyi prefecture (former)東暆Gangneung City, Gangwon ProvinceMain office of Lintun Commandery.
Dongyi prefecture (new)東暆Wonsan, Gangwon Province,After incorporation into Lelang Commandery, main office moved from former Dongyi prefecture.
Buer prefecture不而Anbyon County, Gangwon ProvinceMain office after incorporation into Lelang Commandery.
Cantai prefecture蠶台Sokcho, Gangwon ProvinceIncorporated into Lelang Commandery in 82 BCE.
Huali prefecture華麗Kumya County, South Hamgyong ProvinceIncorporated to Lelang Commandery in 82 BCE.
Xietoumei prefecture邪頭昧Munchon, Gangwon ProvinceIncorporated into Lelang Commandery in 82 BCE.
Qianmo prefecture前莫Goseong County, Gangwon ProvinceIncorporated into Lelang Commandery in 82 BCE.
Other 9 prefecturesSomewhere in present-day Gangwon ProvinceThose prefectures were not incorporated into Lelang Commandery and disappeared in 82 BCE .

Historical revisionism

In the North Korean academic community and some part of the South Korean academic community, the Han dynasty's annexation of the Korean peninsula have been denied. Proponents of this revisionist theory claim that the Four Commanderies of Han actually existed outside of the Korean peninsula, and place them somewhere in Liaodong Commandery, China instead. According to this theory, the Lintun Commandery was said to be located in the southern part of Liaodong peninsula, especially in Jinzhou peninsula.

These hypotheses are "dictatorial" in the academic community of North Korea, which is supported by the amateur historical enthusiasts in South Korea, but this theory is not recognized at all in the academic circles of the United States, China and Japan.

See also