King Gwanggaeto the Great

Gwanggaeto the Great led a campaign to seize the Han River basin from Baekje. This strategic region gave Goguryeo control over trade routes and access to the Yellow Sea, boosting its economic power.

Gwanggaeto launched a campaign against the Khitan tribes in Manchuria, defeating them and incorporating their lands into Goguryeo. This expanded Goguryeo's territory northward and secured its borders.

Gwanggaeto sent 50,000 troops to aid the Silla kingdom against a Japanese invasion. The Goguryeo army expelled the Japanese forces, securing Silla as a tributary ally and extending Goguryeo's influence.

By the end of his reign, Gwanggaeto had expanded Goguryeo to control most of the Korean Peninsula and parts of Manchuria. His empire became the largest in Korean history, dominating Northeast Asia.

Gwanggaeto's son commissioned a stele in Ji'an, China, recording the king's conquests and achievements. The stele provides crucial historical evidence of Goguryeo's military campaigns and territorial extent.