This study reexamines the origin of soybean civilization by focusing on the emergence and continuity of fermentable soybean culture rather than the distribution of wild soybeans. While wild soybeans are widely distributed, fermented soybean foods provide a more reliable indicator of cultural development because they require suitable soybean varieties, salt resources, fermentation technology, favorable environments, and accumulated knowledge. Drawing on historical sources from China and Korea, this study argues that the introduction of Rongshu (戎菽) marked a shift from the use of soybeans as leafy vegetables and fodder to fermented products such as jiang (soybean paste) and shi (fermented soybeans). It further shows that the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia preserved and developed this fermentation tradition over a long period. The study concludes that the continuity of fermented soybean technology offers a more meaningful framework for understanding soybean origins and underscores the need to integrate textual, archaeological, and genetic evidence in future research.

Abstract
I. 서 론
II. 본 론
    1. 콩 기원 논쟁의 재정립: 야생콩에서 ‘발효 가능한 대두’의출현
    2. 융숙(戎菽) 도입 이후의 전환: 중국 내지의 확산 시기와한반도의 제도화(制度化) 시기
    3. 한반도⋅만주 대두 발효 문명의 성숙과 계승
    4. 대두 이용의 다층적 전개와 조선의 계승
III. 결 론
Acknowledgement
Conflict of Interest
References

• 최덕경(부산대학교 사학과 명예교수) | Duk Kyung Choi (Department of History, Pusan National University, Korea) Corresponding author