An Analysis of Research Trends on the Ye(濊) Tribein Ancient Korean History

According to research so far, it has been revealed that there are no significant racial differences between the Ye and Maek, the two groups that make up the Yemaek(濊貊). ‘Yemaek’ is an expression created by deriving the suffix ‘maek’, which has a strong derogatory meaning towards a group of people who are ethnically ‘ye-maek’. Therefore, the ethnic identity of the Yemaek should be viewed as the Yemaek tribe. However, as Goguryeo grew and emerged around the 1st century and confronted China, it was called “Maek,” which is distinct from Buyeo, the representative of Yemaek-based politics. The Yeongseo and Yeongdong regions of Gangwon-do are considered the distribution area of the Yemaek people. But, the Gujinjunguozhi(古今郡國志) records that the Yeongseo region was a ‘maekguk(貊國)’. However, there is no evidence that there were two ethnically distinct groups in the Yeongseo and Yeongdong regions based on the results of archaeological excavations or literature data so far. This does not mean that the ancient Yeongseo and Yeongdong regions were governed by the same political forces. It is a future task to understand the circumstances and scale of politics in the ancient Yeongseo and Yeongdong regions.