280px, "Samguk Sagi" Book 04. Silla's Records.
In 512, Usan-guk（于山國）was Ulleungdo（鬱陵島） Usan-guk, or the State of Usan, occupied

Ulleung-do Ulleungdo (also spelled Ulreungdo; Hangul: , ) is a South Korean island 120 km (75 mi) east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan, formerly known as the Dagelet Island or Argonaut Island in Europe. Volcanic in origin, the rocky s ...

and the adjacent islands during the Korean Three Kingdoms period. According to the ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

'', it was conquered by the Silla general Kim Isabu in 512. He is said to have used wooden lions or tigers to intimidate the residents into surrendering. It has been written that the alias of Usan-guk is Ulleung-do. Usan-guk rarely entered into historical records, but appears to have continued a largely autonomous existence until its loss of independence to Goryeo in 930.

History

Legend from Ulleung

A legend from

Ulleung island Ulleungdo (also spelled Ulreungdo; Hangul: , ) is a South Korean island 120 km (75 mi) east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan, formerly known as the Dagelet Island or Argonaut Island in Europe. Volcanic in origin, the rocky s ...

tells a story of King Woohae (于海王), who was so strong that he invaded Tsushima Island to exterminate Japanese pirates. When King Woohae, tried to go back, the king of Tsushima threw a huge party for Woohae and suggested an amicable diplomatic relationship between the two countries, and asked Woohae to marry his third daughter Pungminyeo (豊美女), who was beautiful. Pung became the Empress of Usan, and after this event, Usan began to fall in decadence, and Usan fell in a few years.

Historical records

Earliest records that appear in the

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

indirectly attest the existence of the kingdom, which says "When Wang Qi(王頎) (of Cao Wei) has come to Okjeo to conquer gung ( Dongcheon of Goguryeo), he asked a local man whether there are people living in the east sea, and the man replied there are people living in an island that exists in the eastern seas, and they select a girl to put in the ocean every July." In

, it is said that because of general Isabu's threats with wooden lions, Usan chose to be a vassal state to Silla in 512. In

Goryeosa The ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is the main surviving historical record of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. It was composed nearly a century after the fall of Goryeo, during the reign of King Sejong, undergoing repeated revisions between ...

, it is recorded that Usan requested to be submitted under the rule of Goryeo in 930 by sending Baekgil, and todu. In 1018, when Usan was severely affected by jurchen invasions, the Goryeo king sent Lee won gu with farming equipment, and asked the locals of Usan who have fled from those invasions to return to their lands. Usan was finally abolished and fully incorporated in 1022 as all the refugees from Usan was settled to the region of Yeju.

, Book4

Old Korean maps

File:Ulleungdo and Usando.jpg, Joseon map (1530): Ulleungdo (鬱陵島) and Usan (于山島) File:Gwang Yeodo 18th century.jpg, 廣輿圖 (Gwang Yeodo,1737-1776)
This map showed Ulleungdo with a small island off its eastern shore labeled as "the so-called Usando" (所謂于山島). File:East of Ulleungdo and Usando.jpg, Kim Jeong-ho "Daedongyeojido" (1861): East of Ulleungdo (鬱陵島) and Usando (于山) File:DaehanJeondo.jpg, A map by

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

: Ulleungdo (鬱陵島) and Usan (于山)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usan-Guk Former countries in Korean history Former countries in East Asia History of Korea States and territories established in the 510s 512 establishments 930s disestablishments States and territories disestablished in the 930s Island countries