Britannica Sources used in this answer

How were Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla governed through administrative districts?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Map of the Korean Peninsula highlighted in orange, showing North Korea in the north and South Korea in the south. The peninsula is bordered by China and Russia to the north, the Yellow Sea to the west, the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east, and Japan across the sea to the southeast. A small inset globe at the top left shows the peninsula's location in East Asia. — Korea Map of the Korean Peninsula, indicating northern and southern regions.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla each achieved a centralization of power by dividing their territories into specific administrative units. These provincial divisions were designed to control numerous castles and ensure that the central government could effectively collect taxes and corvée labor from the populace.1

The administrative structures for each kingdom were as follows:

Goguryeo: The largest administrative units were known as pu. The state also maintained a series of military garrisons at strategic points throughout the territory to facilitate rule.12
Baekje: The kingdom was divided into five administrative districts.3
Silla: The largest administrative units were called chu. Following the unification of the peninsula, the Unified Silla government further refined this structure into a hierarchy of provinces (chu), prefectures (kun), and counties (hyeon).14

In each of these kingdoms, the central government dispatched officials to these provincial units to maintain royal authority over the subjects.1