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During the Koryo period (918-1392), the Korean peninsula witnessed vibrant merchant activity, foreign and domestic ones alike. Not only Chinese but also Central and West Asian merchants came to the peninsula, while Koryo merchants visited China-based dynasties and cultivated relationships with merchants from regions beyond China. In the first half of the dynasty, especially during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Song merchants frequently visited Koryo, while Koryo merchants expanded their already thriving businesses in China. Then in the second half of the dynasty, especially in the fourteenth century, the Koryo merchants extended their activities to Central Asian as well as West Asian Islamic markets. Examination of the Koryo merchants and their trade with the outer world helps us understand how the Koryo people viewed the outside, and how Koryoo in general dealt with their foreign counterparts in commercial terms.
Keywords: Koryo, Song, Yüan, trade, Islamic markets
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Introduction
The Koryo period, compared to other eras in Korean history, might have been the most "open" one to the outer world. During the time of Chinese dynasties, such as Song (960-1279), Liao (916-1125), Jin (1115-1234), and YUan (1271-1367), Koryo had to deal with all kinds of foreigners whom they never had encountered before. The name "Korea" was derived from the name "Kory," which must have been introduced to other regions by people who either visited the Korean peninsula at the time, or heard stories from those who actually visited.
Yet the "openness" of Koryo is not that well recognized, even among scholars. Many historians concentrate their efforts on determining the internal history of the Koryo period, and while some studies have tried to examine Koryo's diplomacy and negotiations with the outer world, in most cases they attempt to explain how the Koryo people managed to "cope with" such experiences, or how such "relationships" with adjacent countries conformed to the traditional tributary system and its boundaries. In other words, the history of Koryo within an international context has only been superficially examined. These efforts, if more thorough, would have enabled researchers to define the position and status of the Koryo dynasty in Asia or Eurasia, if not the entire globe. How the Koryo people viewed the world beyond its boundaries, and how...