Owing to geographic proximity, Chinese graphs and classics were introduced into the ancient Korean kingdoms as early as the second century bc. The fact of cultural intercourse between China and the Korean states is documented by Chinese and Korean sources alike. With the establishment of Chinese commanderies in the peninsula, the flow of Chinese culture increased and the Koguryŏ kingdom in the northwest commenced active contact with Chinese immigrants.

Koguryŏ used the Chinese script from early times. Under King Sosurim (371–384), a Chinese-style national academy was established and the learned class studied the Five Classics, histories, and the Wenxuan (Selections of Refined Literature). There were also private schools (kyŏngdang) that taught Chinese and archery. The representative example of Koguryŏ writing is the inscription to the monument erected in honor of King Kwanggaet'o, an inscription in Korean-style calligraphy.

The Paekche kingdom had erudites (paksa) of the Five Classics, medicine, and the calendar, and it was they who transmitted Chinese writing to Japan. An example of Paekche writing is the state paper sent by King Kaero (455–475) in 472 to the Northern Wei, preserved in the Weishu (7A:137), and the monument of Sat'aek Chijŏk. Monuments erected at the sites of King Chinhŭng's tours of inspection show the mastery of written Chinese in Silla. The four monuments built when King Chinhŭng inspected the newly acquired territory include those at Mount Pukhan (555), at Ch'angnyŏng (561), and at Hwangch'o Pass and Maun Pass (both erected in 568).