Chinese name for ancient Korean kingdom at Japanese museum draws backlash
Ancient kingdom Balhae's capital Sanggyeong labeled as 'Bohai Shangjing' at Japan's Osaka Museum of History
Japan's Osaka Museum of History has come under fire for using a Chinese-style term for the ancient Korean kingdom of Balhae.
According to civic activist Seo Kyoung-duk on Friday, the Japanese museum labeled Balhae and its capital, Sanggyeong, as 'Bohai' and 'Shangjing,' respectively, in its exhibits featuring photographs of historical sites in key neighboring regions around ancient Osaka.
These English terms are often used by China to argue that Balhae was a regional regime founded by the Mohe people, an ethnic group that lived in the northern Korean Penninsula and northeastern Manchuria around the sixth century and which is claimed by China as one of its many ethnic groups.
In Korean history, Balhae was the successor state to the ancient Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BC–668 AD). Founded in 698 by Dae Jo-yeong, a former Goguryeo general, the ancient kingdom was known for its active maritime trade with neighboring states, including China's Tang Dynasty, Japan and the Silla Kingdom.
In an email to the museum, Seo urged officials to revise the terminology, stating, 'A history museum has a duty to present accurate history to visitors from around the world.'
'China's historical distortion is getting worse. Its artificial intelligence model DeepSeek has even claimed that Goguryeo and Balhae are part of Chinese history,' he added. "Inaccurate portrayals of history overseas could be used to legitimize these false claims and must be corrected."
Under the 'Northeast Project,' the Chinese government has advanced initiatives to reframe the historical and cultural heritage of neighboring areas -- historically associated with China -- as part of its own history.
Earlier in February, DeepSeek, a generative AI model developed in China, sparked controversy after responding to a question from Korea's National Intelligence Service -- 'To which country do Goguryeo and Balhae belong?' -- by claiming that both were key parts of China's ancient history.
When asked where kimchi originates, DeepSeek responded, "It is a signature Korean food imbued with its culture and history," according to the spy agency. But when asked the same question in Chinese, it said, "The origin is not Korea, but China," and "It is related to Korea," when asked in English, the NIS said.
Meanwhile, Chinese e-commerce platforms operating in Korea have also faced criticism for appearing to support the Northeast Project. When users search for kimchi on Temu, for example, the results include images of jars labeled with the Chinese term 'pao cai,' referring to Chinese-style pickled vegetables.
'The Northeast Project began when China saw Korean culture getting big worldwide after the 2000s and felt nervous that Korea might replace it as East Asia's cultural leader," said Seo, who is also a liberal arts professor at Sungshin Women's University.
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