| Sumario: | This study investigates the enslavement of Korean Peninsula inhabitants in China from the seventh to ninth centuries, emphasizing the intricate nature of slavery during this period and the substantial challenges in addressing the plight of enslaved individuals. The presence of Korean Peninsula slaves in Tang China fundamentally stemmed from the Tang Dynasty's endeavour to re-establish a Sinocentric political order in East Asia. During the eighth to ninth centuries, the substantial profits from slave trading attracted both pirates and Tang officials to participate in the trafficking of Korean Peninsula inhabitants. The severe climatic crisis further amplified the scale of slave trading, characterized by a transformation from 'political captivity' to 'economic captivity'. Although the Tang government promulgated edicts to abolish slave trading in the early ninth century, these measures more closely resembled royal dispensation rather than genuine abolition and notably did not encompass all Korean Peninsula slaves. Through an examination of the emergence and attempted resolution of the Korean Peninsula slave trade during this period, and by drawing comparisons with contemporaneous slave trading practices along the Silk Road, this research contributes to the broader historiography of slave trade development, discussing political authority, economic interests, and humanitarian considerations in medieval East Asia.
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