Trade between the Ryukyus and Korea began in 1389 when King Satto of Chuzan dispatched an envoy to Korea. The objective of the first dispatch was to return Koreans who had been liberated from Japanese pirates (this was during the Korai Dynasty in Korea) to their native land. The Koreans returned the courtesy by sending an ambassador and the relationship continued to grow.
To reach Korea the Ryukyuan ships sailed to the Amami Islands, up the west coast of Kyushu, through Tsushima via Pusan and then towards their destination. Strictly speaking, trade ships did not head from Korea to the Ryukyus due the danger of many pirates on the coastal areas of Korea. However, the two countries built a relationship based on trust and many goods such as cotton fabrics, Korean ginseng, and Buddhist scripture were given to the Ryukyuans.
But in the mid 15th century the number of ships sailing from the Ryukyus to the Korean peninsula decreased because of incidents where Japanese merchants misrepresented themselves as Ryukyuan missions.