http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...=10&u=/ap/20040131/ap_on_re_as/war_of_history
The ancient kingdom of Koguryo, famed for its mighty castles and horseback warriors, has sprung back to life in a "war of history" between South Korea and China that carries alarming modern-day implications.
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The wrangling could also influence the way future borders are drawn between two of Asia's biggest economic powers should the region become unstable.
Koguryo ruled much of Korea and Manchuria, now China, until it vanished from maps 1,300 years ago. It has been dragged into the headlines by a Beijing-backed study that deems the kingdom to be an integral part of China.
Not so, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon insisted last week.
"It is an indisputable historical fact that Koguryo is the root of the Korean nation and an inseparable part of our history," he said. "We will sternly and confidently deal with any claims or arguments harming the legitimacy of our rights."
Reigning from 37 B.C. to A.D. 668 and spreading Buddhism throughout the region, the Koguryo kingdom straddled what is now North Korea and part of South Korea and the northeastern Chinese region of Manchuria.