Zhenfan Commandery

The Zhenfan Commandery was one of the Four Commanderies of the Chinese Han dynasty located on the Korean Peninsula. It existed between 108 BCE to 82 BCE.

History

In 108 BCE, the Zhenfan Commandery was established under Youzhou by the Han dynasty.
According to Maolingshu compiled in the Han dynasty, the Zhenfan Commandery consisted of fifteen counties each, and was ruled from the Sa county, which was 3,000 km from Chang’an. Its territorial jurisdiction is unclear. In 82 BCE, Zhenfan Commandery was abolished.

Controversy

There are two theories for the location of the Zhenfan Commandery. One theory has it located in the north of the Korean peninsula and the other further south. In the academic community, the southern theory is preferred. However, there are also some views that the Zhenfan Commandery was in the Gyeongsang Province, Chungcheong Province or in the southern part of Korea which includes the Gyeongsang Province and Jeolla Province.

Historical revisionism

In the North Korean academic community and some parts of the South Korean academic community, the fact that at least part of the Korean peninsula was annexed by Han dynasty has been denied. They claim that the Four Commanderies of Han were actually located outside the Korean peninsula. They consider that the Four Commanderies were located in the Liaodong Commandery. In this theory, the location of Zhenfan Commandery is almost same as the eastern part of Liaodong Commandery.
These views are not accepted by the academic communities in the United States, China and Japan.