Balhae was a Korean kingdom established after the fall of Koguryo. It was founded by Dae Jo-yeong, a former general of Koguryo in 698.
Although many Koreans have heard about Balhae, not many people know much about this kingdom. I used to read a lot of books on Korean history and I noticed that they did not put much emphasis on Balhae. The books only mentioned the existence of Balhae and its founder. This negligence and ignorance of Koreans is problematic because China is actively trying to claim Koguryo and Balhae as its own. It is difficult to protect our culture and history if we do not even know or even worse, care about it.
This historic dispute between China and Korea is significant because North Korea and South Korea are still divided. Should North Korea collapse due to its economic and social problems, China could step in and claim part or all of its territory. Claiming Koguryo and Balhae as its own gives China legitimacy to do such a thing and thus, Korean government and its people must actively work to save Balhae and its history.
