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Baekdudaegan means a big mountain range originated from Mt. Baekdu. This view implies that Baekdudaegan is the nation's geographical foundation.
Baekdudaegan is the main source of our national mythology, is the representative of all mountains, and was the national capital from the Gojosun dynasty through Goguryeo and Balhae era.
From the view point that Neo-Silla and Balhae were part of one nation, it may be a legitimate argument to expand the geographical limit of Baekdudaegan. Current geographical understanding of Baekdudaegan includes only the mountain ridge that runs north south. Current national boundaries limitit to even only to the part that lies in South Korea.
Let us look at the significance of the Mt. Baekdu:
when was it first considered as the central point of
the country? When was the first time the term, Baekdudaegan
was used? When did people start having a holistic view
of the mountain range? And when was the book Sangyeongpyo
written?
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