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Cheonmin
''Cheonmin'' (), or "vulgar commoners", were the lowest caste of commoners in dynastical Korea. They abounded during the Goryeo (918–1392) and Joseon (1392–1897) periods of Korea's agrarian bureaucracy. Social class system In the caste system in Korea, this social class was largely hereditary and based on certain professions considered "unclean" by the upper classes. This list of unclean professions included butchers, shamans, shoemakers, metalworkers, prostitutes, magicians, sorcerers, jail-keepers, and performers (like the ''kisaeng''). ''Nobi'' (slaves) were servants taken from the cheonmin class to serve ''yangban'' (aristocracy) and royalty, but like slaves, they were considered the property of their owners and could be given away to other high-ranking people. ''Kisaeng'', female entertainers for ''yangban'', were in this class, educated but not respected by others in society. The hereditary nature of the caste system bred institutionalized discrimination and prejud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of Goryeo in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the rivers of Amrok and Tuman through the subjugation of the Jurchens. During its 500-year duration, Joseon encouraged the entrenchment of Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society. Neo-Confucianism was installed as the new state's ideology. Buddhism was accordingly discouraged, and occasionally the practitioners faced persecutions. Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea and saw the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chungin
The ''jungin'' or ''chungin'' () were the upper middle class of the Joseon Dynasty in medieval and early modern Korean society. The name "jungin" directly means "middle people". This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty bureaucrats and other highly educated skilled workers whose technical and administrative skills enabled the ''yangban'' and the royal family to rule the lower classes. ''Jungin'' were the lifeblood of the Korean 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 systems in both North and South Korea. Professions and roles in the society In dynastic Korea, particularly during the Joseon period, the ''jungin'' were lower than the ''yangban'' aristocracy but above the lower middle and working class commoners in social status. They included highly educated government-employed specialis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of Goryeo in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the rivers of Amrok and Tuman through the subjugation of the Jurchens. During its 500-year duration, Joseon encouraged the entrenchment of Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society. Neo-Confucianism was installed as the new state's ideology. Buddhism was accordingly discouraged, and occasionally the practitioners faced persecutions. Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the territory of current Korea and saw the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Yeongjo
Yeongjo of Joseon (31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (Korean: 이금, Hanja: 李昑), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong, by his concubine Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan. Before ascending to power, he was known as Prince Yeoning (Korean: 연잉군, Hanja: 延礽君). His life was characterized by political infighting and resentment due to his biological mother's low-born origins. In 1720, a few months after the accession of his older half-brother, Yi Yun (posthumously called King Gyeongjong), as the 20th King, Yeoning became the Crown Prince. This induced a large controversy between the political factions. Nevertheless, four years later, at the death of Gyeongjong, he ascended to the throne. Yeongjo's reign lasted nearly 52 years and was marked by his persistent efforts to reform the taxation system and minimize and reconcile the factional fighting under his ''Tangpyeong'' polic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Noble Consort Sukbin Choe
Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan (Hangul: 숙빈 최씨, Hanja: 淑嬪 崔氏; 17 December 1670 – 9 April 1718) is one of best known consorts of Sukjong of Joseon and the mother of Yi Geum, King Yeongjo. Biography Early life Lady Choe was born on the sixth day of the eleventh lunar month in the eleventh year of the reign of King Hyeonjong of Joseon, which translates to December 17, 1670 in the Gregorian calendar. She was the younger daughter of Choe Hyo-won, and Lady Hong of the Namyang Hong clan. She had one older brother, Choe Hu, who married Lady Ahn of the Sunheung Ahn clan and one older sister, Lady Choe of the Haeju Choe clan, who married Seo Jeon. Palace maid Lady Choe entered the palace at the age of 7. She belonged to the Cheonmin, which was the lowest class during the Joseon Dynasty. It is unknown how her first encounter with the King happened. The most accepted version is that she was a ''musuri'' (a water maid in the palace) during the time when ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baekjeong
The ''Baekjeong'' ( ko, 백정) were an untouchable caste in Korea, originating from some minority, nomadic groups of disputed ethnicity. In the early part of the Goryeo period (918–1392), these minorities were largely settled in fixed communities. However, the Mongol invasion left Korea in disarray and anomie and these groups became nomadic. Subgroups of the baekjeong included the ( "entertainers") and the () or (), who were primarily butchers. The baekjeong occupied specific professions like butchery, tanning, basket weaving and performing executions. During the Goryeo period, "baekjeong" was used as a neutral term to refer to the common people. From the time of the Joseon dynasty, it became an insulting title used to refer to the lowest class of society. In addition, since the Joseon dynasty, "baekjeong" has been also used to denigrate a person. In contemporary South Korea, the term is mainly associated with the meaning of a butcher and even used in the restaurants' names ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yangban
The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats who individually exemplified the Korean Confucian form of a " scholarly official". They were largely government administrators and bureaucrats who oversaw medieval and early modern Korea's traditional agrarian bureaucracy until the end of the dynasty in 1897. In a broader sense, an office holder's family and descendants, as well as country families who claimed such descent, were socially accepted as ''yangban''. Overview Unlike noble titles in the European and Japanese aristocracies, which were conferred on a hereditary basis, the bureaucratic position of ''yangban'' was granted by law to ''yangban'' who meritoriously passed state-sponsored civil service exams called ''gwageo'' (). This exam was modeled on the imperial examinations first s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yangban
The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats who individually exemplified the Korean Confucian form of a " scholarly official". They were largely government administrators and bureaucrats who oversaw medieval and early modern Korea's traditional agrarian bureaucracy until the end of the dynasty in 1897. In a broader sense, an office holder's family and descendants, as well as country families who claimed such descent, were socially accepted as ''yangban''. Overview Unlike noble titles in the European and Japanese aristocracies, which were conferred on a hereditary basis, the bureaucratic position of ''yangban'' was granted by law to ''yangban'' who meritoriously passed state-sponsored civil service exams called ''gwageo'' (). This exam was modeled on the imperial examinations first s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nobi
''Nobi'' were members of the slave class during the Korean dynasties of Goryeo and Joseon. Legally, they held the lowest rank in medieval Korean society. Like the slaves, serfs, and indentured servants of the Western Hemisphere, ''nobi'' were considered property or chattel, and could be bought, sold, or gifted. Classification The ''nobi'' were socially indistinct from freemen other than the ruling ''yangban'' class, and some possessed property rights, legal entities and civil rights. Hence, some scholars argue that it is inappropriate to call them "slaves", while some scholars describe them as serfs. Furthermore, the Korean word for an actual slave, in the European and American meaning, is ''noye'', not ''nobi''. Some ''nobi'' owned their own ''nobi''. History Some people became ''nobi'' as legal punishment for committing a crime or failing to pay a debt. However, some people voluntarily became ''nobi'' in order to escape crushing poverty during poor harvests and famines. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sangmin
The ''sangmin'' () were the common people of Joseon-era Korea. Etymology A more polite but less accurate name for the ''sangmin'' is "''yangmin''" (). History The ''sangmin'' consisted of peasants, heavy laborers, fishermen, some craftsmen and merchants. The ''sangmin'' were considered "clean workers" but had little social status. Generally they were poor. They paid most of Korea's taxes and were subject to the military draft. Their lives were hard, but they were the foundation of the Joseon dynasty, just like the ''chungin'' were the backbone of the government. Some of the ''sangmin'' owned land which they farmed. Others rented land from the ''yangban'' as tenant farmers. Those that did not farm had the lowest status. In everyday life, the ''sangmin'' were the working people who struggled to survive. The ''yangban'' and ''chungin'' controlled and ruled over them. The ''sangmin'' did the heavy work. During the late Joseon period, particularly in the 19th century the sangmin reb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baekjeong
The ''Baekjeong'' ( ko, 백정) were an untouchable caste in Korea, originating from some minority, nomadic groups of disputed ethnicity. In the early part of the Goryeo period (918–1392), these minorities were largely settled in fixed communities. However, the Mongol invasion left Korea in disarray and anomie and these groups became nomadic. Subgroups of the baekjeong included the ( "entertainers") and the () or (), who were primarily butchers. The baekjeong occupied specific professions like butchery, tanning, basket weaving and performing executions. During the Goryeo period, "baekjeong" was used as a neutral term to refer to the common people. From the time of the Joseon dynasty, it became an insulting title used to refer to the lowest class of society. In addition, since the Joseon dynasty, "baekjeong" has been also used to denigrate a person. In contemporary South Korea, the term is mainly associated with the meaning of a butcher and even used in the restaurants' names ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Annals Of The Joseon Dynasty
The ''Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty'' (also known as the ''Annals of the Joseon Dynasty'' or the ''True Record of the Joseon Dynasty''; ko, 조선왕조실록 and ) are the annual records of Joseon, the last royal house to rule Korea. Kept from 1392 to 1865, the annals (or ''sillok'') comprise 1,893 volumes and are thought to be the longest continual documentation of a single dynasty in the world. With the exception of two sillok compiled during the colonial era, they are the 151st national treasure of South Korea and listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World registry. Since 2006, the annals have been digitized by the National Institute of Korean History and are available on the internet with modern Korean translation in hangul and the original text in Classical Chinese. In January 2012, the National Institute of Korean History announced a plan to translate them to English by the year 2033. The work was scheduled to start in 2014 with an initial budget of ₩500 mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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