Military Administrative Institutions and Military Service of Silla and Baekje in the 6th to 7th Centuries

This paper examines the military administrative institutions of Silla and Baekje, and reviews military service (軍役), one of the representative duties overseen by these institutions. Understanding a state's taxation and collection system relied heavily on accurately identifying the population. To carry out this task, both Silla and Baekje utilized military administrative bodies such as the Byeongbu(兵部) and Sagunbu(司軍部) to create and manage military registers (軍籍). The age groups of those listed as subjects of military service in the military registers were categorized as either eligible (充) or exempt (免) based on age. Those exempt from active duty were classified as reserve resources and appear to have performed military service under special circumstances or during emergencies. This military service system clearly provided both kingdoms with the foundation to maintain large-scale military forces ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 troops.