Byeokrando

Byeokrando was the main port of the kingdom. It was a port close to the Goryeo capital Gaegyeong.

Following its establishment, Goryeo allowed foreigners to enter the state including those from the Sung, the Khitan, the Jurchen and Japan, and encouraged foreign trade. Byeokrando, an international trade port situated at the mouth of the Yeseong River, served as the gateway to Gaegyeong. Here, merchants from the Sung, southeast Asia and Arabia engaged in trade. Goryeo became known as ‘Corea’ by the Arabian merchants who engaged in active trade activities around the world. Byeokrando served as Goryeo’s window to the world. Silk, herbal medicines, books and tea that the Chinese merchants brought were extremely popular with the aristocrats of Goryeo. Ivory, crystal, amber, spices such as pepper, quicksilver, and carpets brought by the merchants from Islam were also very popular. Goryeo, for its part, exported hemp cloth, ginseng, paper and ink sticks. The paper and ink sticks of Goryeo were of world-class quality.