Diplomacy with the Tang Empire
Diplomacy with the Tang Empire improved in the eighth century, as both the Shilla kingdom and the Tang Empire saw greater mutual benefit in closer ties. As the period of the Tang Empire's great expansion under emperor Gaozong was mostly over, there was much less the threat of another outbreak of hostilities. Also, the state of Balhae, a Malgal-Korean state that occupied much of the former territories of Goguryeo, became a common foe to both. Shilla thus entered a tributary relationship with Tang, which was a common practice among East Asian states at the time to secure trade and cultural and technological exchanges from the highly advanced and wealthy empire. This relationship also came to characterize Sino-Korean relations in later periods as well.
With the warming of ties came to a greater importation and localization of Chinese culture in the Korean peninsula. Many Buddhist monks and students from Shilla travelled to the Tang Empire to study at the great monasteries or academies; some Korean students even passed the prestigious civil service examination and achieved fame in both Tang and their homeland. Exchanges between the royal court of Shilla and the imperial court of Tang was common as Shilla offerred tribute while Tang offered "gifts" in return. Chinese fashions and high culture became popular among the elites, but it is not known whether Chinese culture significantly permeated the lower strata of society; interest in all things Chinese was perhaps more or less confined to the aristocracy.
Relations with Yamato
Relations between Silla and Yamato Japan were initially uneasy. Yamato became allied with Balhae and in 733 CE, they attempted to assault the Korean peninsula with the intention of establishing a foothold on the peninsula. While hostility between the two powers were high at the beginning, conflict eventually lessened as the Yamato court found more value in maintaining better relations with Shilla. Trade and diplomatic exchanges followed. Shilla re-exported goods imported from its northern neighbor and Tang to Japan.
While Japanese piracy and raids had plagued the Korean peninsula throughout much of pre-industrial history, it was ironically pirates from Shilla that threatened the Japanese coastal regions during the eighth century.
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