The Times says the two Koreas are engaged in a bitter dispute with China about the historical ownership of the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo that ceased to exist more than 13-hundred years ago.

In an article titled, “War of Words over Ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo,” the British daily said Monday that the dispute erupted in 2003 when China’s state media began referring to Goguryeo as part of China. The report said equivalents to China’s claim are difficult to find but it is as if King Arthur’s Camelot was sudden claimed by the Germans.

The paper cited that the modern name of Korea ultimately derives from Goguryeo.

It also noted that North Korea, which aggressively rejects feudalism and elitism, reveres King Tongmyong as a national hero as he was the founder of the ancient kingdom that is regarded to be the font of Korean civilization.

The paper added that last Sunday, Chinese academics held a ceremony to mark the discovery of a previously unknown stretch of the Great Wall in Dandong, close to the North Korean border.`