대광현의 고려 귀화 및 그 수용과정의 정치적 함의 = The Asylum of Dae Gwang-hyeon and Its Political Implications During the Process of His Integration

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article examines one of the major issues in the history of Balhae: the timing of Crown Prince Dae Gwang-hyeon’s asylum in Goryeo. Records concerning the displaced people of Balhae are found only in twenty Korean historical sources, including the Goryeosa (History of Goryeo). Among these is a record of Dae Gwang-hyeon, and what is particularly noteworthy is that the Annals (Sega) and Chronological Tables of the Goryeosa offer differing accounts of the date of his asylum－925 and 934, respectively.
Accordingly, this article investigates historical records related to Crown Prince Dae Gwang-hyeon, the resistance of Balhae refugees against the Khitan, and the possible link between Dae Gwang-hyeon and the so-called “Later Balhae,” in an effort to better understand the divergent accounts concerning the timing of his asylum in Goryeo.
The study concludes that Dae Gwang-hyeon’s asylum in Goryeo occurred in 925, during a period of escalating tension with the Khitan and increasing defections of civil and military officials from Balhae－likely due to internal turmoil. This view is supported by the unlikelihood of his asylum taking place after Balhae's fall, given the Khitan’s intensive suppression, pursuit, and forced relocation efforts in response to widespread resistance throughout the former Balhae territories. In such a context, it would have been nearly impossible for the crown prince to lead tens of thousands into Goryeo.
It was only around 934－almost a decade later－that Goryeo officially announced Dae Gwang-hyeon’s asylum. This delay was a strategic move by Goryeo, then engaged in the wars to unify the Later Three Kingdoms. By postponing the announcement, Goryeo avoided provoking the rising northern power of the Khitan, while buying crucial time to formulate a new northern strategy.
Thus, the public proclamation of Dae Gwang-hyeon’s asylum in 934, despite its actual occurrence in 925, served multiple political purposes: legitimizing Goryeo’s claim to the unification of the Three Han (Il-tong Samhan), strengthening ties with Balhae refugees by invoking shared bloodlines and marital bonds, and consolidating internal unity to assert political and military superiority over the Khitan. Ultimately, this move signaled to both domestic and international audiences that Goryeo had completed its strategic preparations for responding to the Khitan threat.