Daegu History, South Korea

A visit to Daegu, South Korea’s 3rd largest city, offers an experience that would reflect Daegu’s colorful ancient history that involves dynasties, and the tale of the three kingdoms.

According to history, the pioneer tribe in Daegu was called the Dalgubeol that thrived in the hilly grounds of the place. It was also by this name that the Daegu was known for in ancient times. They initially occupied the lower hills and in the quest to defend themselves from any invasion by other nearby tribes, they decided to build walls made of earth mounds surrounding their residential area.

It was told that during the Ancient Times, people flocked to Daegu due to its abundant natural resources. The place is surrounded by two rivers called the Geumhogang River and the Sincheon River which is a branch of the former, which formed very spacious fields coupled with fertile soil. Various ancient pots and knives made of stone were discovered in Daegu that indicate existence of ancient locals throughout the prehistoric period. 

 Three kingdoms namely the Goryeo, Hubakje, and Silla were known to exist in Daegu. It was in this region that the famous battle called the “Dongsudaejeon” was staged by these kingdoms since the place was a significant strategic point for each of them. During the war, a general named Shin Sun-gyeom of the Silla kingdom was made famous by saving the life of “Wang-geon”, King of Goryeo Kingdom fighting against the Hubakje army when the Kingdom of Goryeo came to the aid of Silla Kingdom. The dramatic event happened when Wang-geon was on the verge of getting killed in the Dongsu battlefield and General Shin came to the rescue. He pretending to be the King by wearing the King’s helmet and by running away he attracted the soldiers of Hubakje to chase him leaving the real King out of danger and was able to get back to his kingdom safely by wearing a soldier’s uniform. After some time, Wang-geon was able to achieve his goal in unifying the three kingdoms leading to a new era of the history of Korea, establishing the Goryeo Dynasty.

Joseon Dynasty followed in 1392 after the successful reign of the Goryeo. During this time, population in Daegu continued to grow and the region developed into an agricultural capital in the province of Gyeongsang. It was also during this time that Daegu improved their educational policies by the introduction of the Chinese Confucianism.

At present, Daegu achieves the reputation of being a major textile center in the country of Korea, as well as the hub for metal and machine industries. Although the city is considered highly urbanized, it still has that countryside feel, and it is able to maintain structures and places that commemorate the stories of the ancient times.

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