The
chungin also
jungin, were the
petite bourgeoisiePetit-bourgeois is a French term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social classes in the 18th and early 19th centuries....
of the
Joseon DynastyJoseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...
of
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. In fact, the name "chungin" literally means "middle people". This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty bureaucrats and other skilled workers whose technical and administrative skills enabled the
yangbanThe Yangban were part of the traditional ruling class of dynastical Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The Yangban were either landed or unlanded gentry who comprised the Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, however, they were basically administrators and petty bureaucrats who...
and the wangjok to completely and totally subjugate the lower classes. Chungin were the lifeblood of the Confucian agrarian bureaucracy, for whom the upper classes depended on to maintain their vice-like hold on the people.
The
chungin also
jungin, were the
petite bourgeoisiePetit-bourgeois is a French term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social classes in the 18th and early 19th centuries....
of the
Joseon DynastyJoseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...
of
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. In fact, the name "chungin" literally means "middle people". This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty bureaucrats and other skilled workers whose technical and administrative skills enabled the
yangbanThe Yangban were part of the traditional ruling class of dynastical Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The Yangban were either landed or unlanded gentry who comprised the Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, however, they were basically administrators and petty bureaucrats who...
and the wangjok to completely and totally subjugate the lower classes. Chungin were the lifeblood of the Confucian agrarian bureaucracy, for whom the upper classes depended on to maintain their vice-like hold on the people. Their traditions and habits are the forerunners of the modern Korean administrative system and police state in both North and South Korea.
Professions and roles in the society
In dynastic Korea, particularly during the Joseon period, the chungin were lower than the yangban aristocracy but above commoners in social status. They included government-employeed technical specialists (e.g. interpretters, physicians, jurists, astronomers, accountants, calligraphers, and musicians), military officers from or had marriage ties to the families producing technical specialists, hereditary government functionaries (both capital and local), and illegitimate children of aristocrats.
In everyday life, the chungin were below the aristocratic
yangbanThe Yangban were part of the traditional ruling class of dynastical Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The Yangban were either landed or unlanded gentry who comprised the Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, however, they were basically administrators and petty bureaucrats who...
but superior to the
sangminThe sangmin were the common people of Joseon Korea. About 75% of all Koreans at that time were sangmin. The sangmin consisted of peasants, laborers, fishermen, some craftsmen and merchants. The sangmin were considered "clean workers" but had little social status. Generally they were poor. They...
. Their roles were minor technical and administrative officials who supported the structure of the government. The highest-ranking chungin, local functionaries, administratively enabled the
yangbanThe Yangban were part of the traditional ruling class of dynastical Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The Yangban were either landed or unlanded gentry who comprised the Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, however, they were basically administrators and petty bureaucrats who...
to oppress the lower classes, especially the total control they had over the
sangminThe sangmin were the common people of Joseon Korea. About 75% of all Koreans at that time were sangmin. The sangmin consisted of peasants, laborers, fishermen, some craftsmen and merchants. The sangmin were considered "clean workers" but had little social status. Generally they were poor. They...
. The chungin functioned as a class of
petite bourgeoisiePetit-bourgeois is a French term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social classes in the 18th and early 19th centuries....
and were essentially petty bureaucrats in the rural areas especially.
Although inferior to the aristocracy in social standing, the chungin enjoyed far more privileges and influence than others. For example, the chungin were not taxed nor subject to military conscription. However, to become a chungin, passing the chapkwa examination, which tested their practical knowledge of certain skills, was usually required. The chungin besides being known as a class of
petite bourgeoisiePetit-bourgeois is a French term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social classes in the 18th and early 19th centuries....
, they comprised the smallest social class in dynastical Korea.
The Korean chungin, as a social class, were roughly analagous to the
petite bourgeoisiePetit-bourgeois is a French term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social classes in the 18th and early 19th centuries....
in Europe. Local functionaries in the rural areas were basically equal to petty bureaucrats.
Famous chungin
Chungin were prominent especially in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when they tended to welcome Western institutions and ideas for modernizing Korea. Well known chungin include Yu Daechi (a.k.a. Yu Honggi), O Gyeongsok and his son O Sechang, Byeon Su, Kim Gyusik, and Choe Namseon.