The Silk Road and the Korean language
Ancient Korea was renowned for its textiles. It was probably closely connected to the emergence of sericulture, which had its centre in China in the nearby Shandong province. The English word “silk” might have its etymological origin in Ancient Korean. The Korean language was influenced by Western elements which reached the peninsula through China and Mongolia. When King Sejong invented a new script for the Korean language, the Hangul, in the 15th century AD, he based it on an ancient Indian phonology which had spread to China when Buddhism was introduced there, and which was further developed in Korea.
