Since the foundation of the Goryeo dynasty, a major strategy implemented in the governance of the northern frontier area (Buggyeong) to rule the country’s north while ensuring the security and development of the newly conquered regions had been the application of Confucianism. During the 10th and 12th centuries, the Goryeo ruling clique, inspired by what has come to be called Confucian ideas, adopted a variety of strategies and tools defined as Confucian in order to govern the regions north of the Taedong River on the Korean peninsula. Through what may be called the power of Confucianism, they attempted to promote the transformation of society, the change of authority and the elimination of warfare in these areas. By further developing Confucian-based governance in the northern frontier region of Goryeo, the Goryeo state finally managed to reshape the region’s social order, expand its territory and consolidate its power in the northern part of the Korean peninsula.

Keywords: Goryeo, Confucianism, northern frontier area, northern frontier governance, Buggyeong