Border Crossing Issues of Transmigrants in the Late 14th and 15th Centuries and the Ming’s Occupation of the Eight Military Stations
Authors:   Institute for Historical Studies at Chung-Ang University, Kim Jingon 
Published: February 2025

This study examines the issue of border crossing in the area of Eight Military Stations from the late 14th to the 15th century, as well as the military occupation of the area by the Ming Dynasty in the late 15th century, during which they constructed fortresses and outposts in the Eight Military Stations region, a buffer zone between the two countries. In 1387, the Ming Dynasty established control over Liaodong by defeating the Nahachu forces of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, who had been occupying the region. Nahachu was a descendant of Mukari, a Mongolian imperial official appointed by Chinggis Khan as the vizier of the Xing'an region, where his family had held authority for generations. Yet, the 12 border checkpoints that the Ming established in Liaodong covered only a small area around Xiyang and Shenyang, leaving the rest of the region outside of Ming control. As a result, people from Goryeo (Joseon) who crossed the border had been living in this area since the late Goryeo Dynasty. They crossed the border and settled in Eight Military Stations due to the burdens imposed on them by military service at each fort, escorting envoys and transporting goods, the appeasement policy for border residents in Pyeongan Province as a result of the Ming Dynasty’s policy to secure the population of the Liaodong region, and the Ming occupation of the Eight Military Stations area in the late 15th century.
Since the area was not under direct Ming control, Joseon was able to exert some influence over the Goryeo (Joseon) migrants living there; however, this situation began to change in the late 15th century. Joseon requested that the Ming alter the Sahaeng route, arguing that the area was sparsely populated and that the presence of Yeojin tribesmen posed a danger to both Joseon and Ming envoys. Initially, the Ming did not respond to Joseon’s request, but later, they proposed an alternative: to build a castle and a fortress in the Eight Military Stations area to ensure the safety of the envoys. In addition to the defense reasons highlighted in previous studies, or the fact that it offered a new alternative to Joseon's request to change the the Sahaeng route, there was an ulteranative reason behind the proposal and implementation of the plan: to secure control over the Goryeo (Joseon) settlers living in the area. Moreover, Joseon was concerned that the Ming occupation of the Eight Military Stations area would not only pose a security threat but also lead to a complete loss of control over the Goryeo settlers, potentially accelerating their migration across the border. As a result, Joseon opposed the plan but refrained from protesting out of concern that it might escalate into a diplomatic issue between the two countries; instead, they implemented policies to prevent further migration.
What is noteworthy here however is that Joseon was able to build a fortress in the Liaodong (the Eight Military Stations) region due to the appeal Yangsungji, the humanist scholar and writer in the early Joseon Dynasty, against the Ming Dynasty's occupation of the military areas and the perception of the Liaodong (the Eight Military Stations region by several people at that time. Although the fortress was not completed nor had a chief officer, it can be seen that this area was recognized as territory because many Goryeo (Joseon) people had crossed the border and settled there since the late Goryeo Dynasty. Therefore, the territorial consciousness of the Joseon people differed from the territorial consciousness of modern people.