The
Yangban were part of the traditional ruling class of dynastical Korea during 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...
. The Yangban were either landed or unlanded gentry who comprised the
ConfucianConfucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia...
idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, however, they were basically administrators and petty bureaucrats who oversaw ancient Korea's traditional agrarian bureaucracy until 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...
ended in 1910. Unlike the European and Japanese aristocracy where noble titles were conferred on a hereditary basis, the Yangban were more like a merit-based class of civil servants, whose entrance and tenure in the Yangban class was solely determined by an individual's and subsequent generation's performance on standardized civil service examinations given annually nationwide.
The
Yangban were part of the traditional ruling class of dynastical Korea during 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...
. The Yangban were either landed or unlanded gentry who comprised the
ConfucianConfucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia...
idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, however, they were basically administrators and petty bureaucrats who oversaw ancient Korea's traditional agrarian bureaucracy until 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...
ended in 1910. Unlike the European and Japanese aristocracy where noble titles were conferred on a hereditary basis, the Yangban were more like a merit-based class of civil servants, whose entrance and tenure in the Yangban class was solely determined by an individual's and subsequent generation's performance on standardized civil service examinations given annually nationwide. Once an individual passed such rigorous exams, which tested one's knowledge of Chinese characters and the Confucian classics, the individual would be conferred a rank that allowed him and his family to be part of the Yangban class for up to three generations thereafter. After that, the title was subject to renewal based on how the new generation fared in the exams, thus maintaining the important Confucian tradition of passing on the habits of learning and study—comprising the Confucian idea of a scholar—from generation to generation thereby maintaining generational continuity. Also, Yangban tended to intermarry with other Yangbans, thus creating class solidarity and the formation of a distinctive social group that existed between the royal family, the Wangjok, and the commoners, or
chunginThe chungin also jungin, were the petite bourgeoisie of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. In fact, the name "chungin" literally means "middle people"...
and
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...
.
Throughout Joseon history, the monarchy and the yangban existed on the slave labor of the lower classes—particularly 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...
-- whose bondage to the land and indentured servitude enabled the upper classes to enjoy a perpetual life of leisure—i.e., the life of a "scholarly" gentleman. The
chunginThe chungin also jungin, were the petite bourgeoisie of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. In fact, the name "chungin" literally means "middle people"...
, however, were more like 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 as they tended to be skilled laborers and shopkeepers whose professional skills—like bookeeping, Calligraphy, light manufacturing, farming—etc. were invaluable to the Yangban.
In modern Korea today, the
yangban or
sajok legacy of patronage based on common educational experiences, teachers, family backgrounds and hometowns, continues in some forms, both officially and unofficially. While the practice exists in the South among Korea's upper class and power elite, where patronage in businesses and large conglomerates tends to predictably follow blood, school and hometown ties, in the North, a de facto
yangban class exists that is based mostly on military and party alliances.
Etymology
The word
yangban, literally meaning "two ranks," refers to two different types of bureaucrats; one being
munban (문반;文班), of the literary or scholarly rank, and the other being
muban (무반;武班), of the martial rank. Since the sixteenth century, the word
yangban underwent a semantic change and began to include the family members of the literal
yangbans, thus blurring the difference between
yangban and
sajok.
Sajok (사족;士族) is a term that is similar in meaning to
yangban. However
sajok used to be a much broader term than the former in that
jok (족;族) always refers to family members and descendents of the office holders including the officials themself. In that sense there is a limited similarity with Europe's hereditary
aristocracyAristocracy is a form of government, in which a few of the most prominent citizens rule. This may be a hereditary elite, or it may be by a system of cooption where a council of prominent citizens add leading soldiers, merchants, land owners, priests, and lawyers to their number...
. However, the
yangban continue to be associated with a class of professional civil servants.
History
Yangban were 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...
equivalent of the former
GoryeoThe Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a sovereign state established in 918 by King Taejo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
nobles who had been educated in both Buddhist and Confucian studies. With the succession of the Yi generals within the Joseon dynasty, prior feuds and factions were quelled through a decisive attempt to instill administrative organization throughout Korea, and create a new class of agrarian bureaucrats. The yangban were in fact modelled on
Ming dynastyThe Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history," was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
Mandarins (bureaucrats, from which Korea copied everything, including the system of standardized civil service exams based on the Chinese classics, making them the sine qua none to entering the mandarinate during what is called Joseon's Golden Era.
As a merit-based title, essentially anyone could take the "civil service exams", and there was much incentive to do so, as passing such exams were guaranteed to confer instant social elevation by being appoointed to an official position within Joseon's agrarian bureaucracy. In practice, however, it was only the wealthy and the connected that had the time to study for such exams, let alone the means and the ability to sustain themselves while studying literally for years. Hence these tests often favored those from wealthy families and the privileged sons of yangban. The yangban, like the mandarins before them, dominated the Royal Court and Military of pre-Modern Korea and often were exempt from various laws including those relating to taxes.
The yangban system was relatively free of corruption in the earlier part of the dynasty. After the
Seven-Year WarTwo Japanese invasions of Korea and subsequent battles on the Korean peninsula took place from 1592 to 1598. Toyotomi Hideyoshi led the newly unified Japan into the first invasion with the professed goal of conquering Korea, the Jurchens, Ming Dynasty China and India. The second invasion was...
, however, the system collapsed along with the rest of Joseon society. Accordingly, in addition to state support granted to them by virtue of their position, the yangban often solicited and took bribes in exchange for positions in the Royal Courts and the Military. Often, corrupt yangban confiscated land from the lower classes by imposing prohibitively excessive land taxes, then seizing the land under the pretense of nonpayment.
In modern-day Korea, the yangban, as a social class, no longer exists. Nevertheless, someone who is rather well connected in Korean society, is euphemistically considered to have "yangban" connections, even though those connections may or may not have any real yangban lineage or ancestry. Regardless, the yangban class of old has been replaced in modern-day South Korea by the
Korean ruling classThe Korean ruling class, or Korean power elite, represent those Koreans, who as a result of their upbringing, access to elite educational institutions -- particularly overseas studies -- as well as extensive family resources, especially access to chaebol wealth and influential social connections,...
,i.e., an elite class of business and governmental elites, who dominate the country through their wealth, power and influence channeled through their familial and social networks.
State Council of Joseon
- Yeonguijeong
Yeonguijeong was a title created in 1400, during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea and given to the Chief State Councillor as the highest government position of "Uijeongbu" . Existing for over 500 years, its function can be compared to that of a present day "Prime Minister of South Korea"...
, Chief State Councillor
- Jwauijeong
Jwauijeong was the Second State Councillor of "Uijeongbu" which position was right below to Yeonguijeong during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea...
, Second State Councillor
- Uuijeong, Third State Councillor
See also
- Korean culture
- History of Korea
The history of Korea stretches from Lower Paleolithic times to the present. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began before 6000 BC, followed by the Bronze Age around 2500 BC...
- Korean Confucianism
Korean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural exchange from China...
- Korean ruling class
The Korean ruling class, or Korean power elite, represent those Koreans, who as a result of their upbringing, access to elite educational institutions -- particularly overseas studies -- as well as extensive family resources, especially access to chaebol wealth and influential social connections,...
- Gat (hat)
- Chungin
The chungin also jungin, were the petite bourgeoisie of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. In fact, the name "chungin" literally means "middle people"...
- Sangmin
The 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...
- Cheonmin
Cheonmin, or "vulgar commoners," were the lowest caste of commoners in dynastical Korea. They abounded during the Goryeo and Joseon periods of Korea's agrarian bureaucracy. Like the caste system in India, this social class was largely hereditary and based on certain professions considered...