<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Dear Mr. Han,<DIV>I apologize ahead for tooting my own horn but I have written a book on this subject surrounding the controversy over the existence of the Nangnang commandery in the Korean peninsula.</DIV><DIV>Please refer to : Constructing Korean origins: Archaeology, historiography and racial myth in Korean state formation theories ( Asia Center, Harvard University Press-2000)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>The tombs were first discovered in the early 1910s by Japanese archaeologists and art historians working for the colonial government office antiquities surveys. Torrii Ryuzo and Imanishi Ryu (1912-1913) identified them as the site of Nangnang (Lelang commandery/Rakuro in Japanese ) from stele, bricks, seals, and lacquerware inscriptions excavated from surveys of over two thousand tombs. The commandery site (T'osongni) was identified as the seat of the Nangnang commandery by cross- referencing the names on artifacts to the actual administrators and Han commandery garrisons that were confirmed in the Chinese records of the Hanshu and HouHanshu (2nd B.C.-early 4th c. A.D.) . </DIV><DIV>The tombs have been well preserved because during the colonial period the Nangnang tombs were reconstructed for tourism in the 1930s of which I have seen postcards of artifacts and maps in Pyongyang guidebooks. </DIV><DIV>The wooden chambered tombs and latter Han brick tombs were promoted by the Japanese scholars as the most spectacular examples of early Han dynastic remains ever found in terms of the kinds of monumental architecture, metallurgy, bronze mirrors, jewelery and examples of writing. The archaeologists were all young ambitious students trained in architecture, art history, archaeology and anthropology at Tokyo and Kyoto Imperial universities who were all very proud of their achievements in excavating and documenting such well preserved remains. The Han remains were promoted in the Japanese and Western archaeological and historical literature as the earliest example of a full-fledged civilization in Korea that later influenced the rise of the Three Kingdoms as well as the Yamato state in Japan.</DIV><DIV> All these surveys occurred before there were any Han sites excavated "scientifically" in mainland China.</DIV><DIV>While in Japan, the Imperial Household Agency had banned the excavations of any imperial burials ( kobun) so they could control all aspects of cultural/artistic/ archaeological heritage linked to the emperor myth-making agenda. Consequently, the Korean peninsula and later on China and Manchuria were the only places they could actually conduct field research with relatively few restrictions and definitely more academic freedom.</DIV><DIV>The fantastic remains found in Silla tombs in the 1920s even inspired more archaeologists to come dig in Korea. All these expensive digs and preservations activities were jointly funded by the Imperial Household, Colonial government education budget as well as local governments offices. </DIV><DIV>Therefore, the Nangnang sites for many decades represented not only the peak of Japanese "scientific" archaeology and fieldwork in Korea but also the achievements of colonial cultural policies in building public museums and collecting and exhibiting antiquities for the education and enlightenment of the citizens. The Nangnang remains were exhibited in the P'yongyang Museum in the 1930s as well as the Colonial Government Museum in Seoul. There is a Nangnang gallery at the National Museum which still has the best conserved artifacts from the major tombs such as Sokkamdong, Oyari, Wang -kuang, and Wang-hsu. </DIV><DIV>In Post-war North Korea, in re-action to Japanese scholars interpretation of Nangnang remains as a Han-derived occupation confirming the Stagnant/backward nature of Koreans (Chongch'aeron) who were dependent on outside influence, the DPRK historians starting in the late 1940s rejected all Pre-war scholarship as "tainted imperialists historiography" and argued that all the Han dynastic remains ( seals, bronzes, lacquerware etc. ) were all in fact "imported" from China and the sites actually belonged to Koguryo ancestors. Thus, their "chuch'e" philosophy necessitated that there would no "foreign powers" that preceded Koguryo and so they had re-write the history of the Nangnang sites and renamed them "Koguryo." </DIV><DIV>What they are in fact doing is similar to their promotion of the fictitious Tangun tomb as being over 5, 000 years old so as to fashion up the history of Kochoson as the earliest "purely Korean state" in order to prove the "independent evolution" of Korean civilization predating that of China or Japan in chronology. </DIV><DIV>I have tried to make a complex topic make sense in a few sentences.</DIV><DIV>Please consult my book's bibliography for more information. Unfortunately, when I was a graduate student working on this topic, as a South Korean national I was not able to visit these tombs sites myself so I have no idea how they were reconstructed. If you have any photos or pamphlets information to share with me I would appreciate your kindness. I am very curious about how they were re-done for the current tourist economic ventures.</DIV><DIV><DIV><DIV>On Jul 21, 2006, at 3:26 AM, Han, Junhi wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"><DIV class="Section1"><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Dear List members,</SPAN><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </SPAN></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">During my last visit to </SPAN><ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Pyongyang</SPAN></ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> in May 2006, I requested whether I could visit the brick-tombs discovered in around Nangnang earthen wall (Nangnang To’ sung) areas in the 90s. I was therefore able to visit two brick- tombs (earthen mound brick-chambered tomb) dated of Nangnang period. The Tomb No. 1 was in particular impressive by its scale, finely decorated bricks and the beautiful double-arched entrance. In addition, the tombs (at least those we visited) were preserved in a quite good state.</SPAN><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </SPAN></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Scholars in the DPRK say that these tombs are proto-type of the Koguryo tombs, and the area of Nangnang in and around </SPAN><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Pyongyang</SPAN></ST1:CITY><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> was actually the territory of the </SPAN><ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Nangnang</SPAN></ST1:PLACENAME><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </SPAN><ST1:PLACETYPE w:st="on"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">State</SPAN></ST1:PLACETYPE></ST1:PLACE><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> which succeeded KoChosun, and not of the Chinese Han Commendery.</SPAN><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </SPAN></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Does any of you there knows about this newly established history on Nangnang in the DPRK? Since when the Nangnang began to be considered as one of the states succeeding Ko Chosun? What about the brick-tombs? Are they identical to the Han dynasty’s brick-tombs found in </SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">China</SPAN></ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">? I would be grateful if one of you could guide me to the resource material related to these brick-tombs, or at least provide me with some references. </SPAN><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </SPAN></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Thanking in advance for your kind and precious guidance,</SPAN><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </SPAN></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Best regards</SPAN><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Han Junhi</SPAN><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "><O:P style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; "> </SPAN></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="#0080ff" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0080FF; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Junhi Han (Ms)</SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang="EN-GB"><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></SPAN></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="#0080ff" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0080FF; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Cultural Heritage Division</SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang="EN-GB"><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></SPAN></P><P class="MsoNormal"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><FONT size="2" color="#0080ff" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0080FF; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Asia</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></ST1:PLACE><FONT size="2" color="#0080ff"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0080FF; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; "> and Pacific unit</SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang="EN-GB"><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; 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font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; ">email: </SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang="EN-GB"><A href="mailto:j.han@unesco.org"><FONT size="2" color="#0080ff"><SPAN lang="FR" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0080FF; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">j.han@unesco.org</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></A></SPAN><SPAN lang="FR"><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></SPAN></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="#0080ff" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0080FF; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; ">visit our home page: <A href="http://www.unesco.org">www.unesco.org</A></SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang="EN-GB"><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></SPAN></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="3" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </SPAN></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV><BR><BR><DIV> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Hyung Il Pai</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Associate Professor</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies,</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">HSSB Building, University of California, Santa Barbara CA 93106</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Fax: 805) 893-3011, Phone: 805) 893-2245</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Email: <A href="mailto:Hyungpai@eastasian.ucsb.edu">Hyungpai@eastasian.ucsb.edu</A></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Dept. Web-site -http://<A href="http://www.eastasian.ucsb.edu">www.eastasian.ucsb.edu</A>/</FONT></P> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>