Yemaek

The Yemaek were an ancient tribe that lived in the northern Korean Peninsula and Manchuria. The Yemaek's homeland was near the Yalu-Tumen-Sungari(Songhua) river region. The Yemaek began to form their identity during the Bronze Age in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. The Yemaek were a separate entity from the Maek tribe of Northern China. They belonged to the Dongyi tribe from a Chinese perspective. The Yemaek language, also known as Ye-Maek, was spoken in Manchuria and eastern Korea north of Silla in the last few centuries BC. The Yemaek people developed the Maekjeok, which is known to be the ancestor of all KBBQ foods. Modern Koreans are believed to be descended from the Yemaek and Han(韓) people.