The ''jungin'' or ''chungin'' () were the
upper middle class
In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term ''lower middle class'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class strat ...
of the
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 r ...
in medieval and early modern
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
society. The name "jungin" directly means "middle people". This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty
bureaucrats
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can compose the administration of any organization of any size, although the term usually connotes someone within an institution of government.
The term ''bureaucrat'' derives from "bureaucracy", w ...
and other highly educated skilled workers whose technical and administrative skills enabled the ''
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 ...
'' and the royal family to rule the lower classes. ''Jungin'' were the lifeblood of the
Korean Confucian
Korean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism that emerged and developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural influence from China.
T ...
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
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north ...
and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
.
Professions and roles in the society
In dynastic Korea, particularly during the Joseon period, the ''jungin'' were lower than the ''
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 ...
'' aristocracy but above the lower middle and working class commoners in social status. They included
highly educated government-employed specialists with a status comparable to modern
white collar workers (e.g. interpreters, scientists, engineers, physicians, jurists, lawyers, 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 ''jungin'' were below the aristocratic ''yangban'' but superior to the lower middle and working class ''
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 an ...
''. Their roles were minor technical and administrative officials who supported the structure of the government. The highest-ranking ''jungin'', local functionaries, administratively enabled the ''yangban'' to oppress the lower classes, especially the total control they had over the sangmin. The ''jungin'' functioned as the
middle-class and were essentially petty bureaucrats particularly in the rural areas.
Although inferior to the aristocracy in social standing, the highly educated ''jungin'' enjoyed far more privileges and influence than the lower middle and working class commoners. For example, the ''jungin'' were not taxed nor subject to
military conscription
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...
. Like the ''yangban'', they were allowed to live in the central part of the city, hence the name "middle people". Also, the ''jungin'' tended to marry within their own class as well as into the ''yangban'' class. In addition, since they were eligible to enter the palace as
royal servants, it was possible for a ''jungin'' girl, if her father had a clean reputation or good connections and she was able to catch the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
or Queen Dowager's eye, to become a royal consort or even a Royal Noble Consort, the second highest level in the hierarchy of the king's harem, after the Queen. An example is
Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Indong Jang clan, personal name
Jang Ok-jeong, was a consort of
King Sukjong of Joseon
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and mother of
Gyeongjong. She was the Queen of Joseon from 1689 until her deposition, in 1694.
However, to become a ''jungin'', passing the ''
chapkwa'' examination, which tested their practical knowledge of certain skills, was usually required. The ''jungin'' besides being known as a section of the middle-class, they were the smallest social class in dynastic Korea.
The Korean ''jungin'', as a social class, were roughly analogous to the middle-class in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
. Local functionaries in the rural areas were basically equal to petty bureaucrats.
Famous ''jungin''
''Jungin'' were prominent especially in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when they tended to welcome Western institutions and ideas for modernizing Korea.
*
Yu Dae-chi (a.k.a. Yu Hong-gi)
*
Oh Gyeong-sok
Oh, OH, or Oh! is an interjection, often proclaiming surprise. It may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Albums
* ''Oh!'' (Girls' Generation album), 2010
* ''Oh!'' (ScoLoHoFo album), 2003
* '' OH (ohio)'', by Lambchop, 2008
* ''Oh!'', an ...
and his son,
Oh Se-chang
Oh, OH, or Oh! is an interjection, often proclaiming surprise. It may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Albums
* ''Oh!'' (Girls' Generation album), 2010
* ''Oh!'' (ScoLoHoFo album), 2003
* ''OH (ohio)'', by Lambchop, 2008
* ''Oh!'', an E ...
*
Byeon Su Byeon, also known as Byun, Pyon, is a Korean surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Byeon Chang-heum, South Korean educator
* Byeon Hyo-mun, Joseon diplomat
* Byeon Jin-su, South Korean baseball player
* Byeon Jun-byum, South Korean ...
*
Kim Kyu-sik
Kim Kyu-sik, also spelled Kimm Kiusic ( Korean:김규식, Hanja:金奎植, January 29, 1881 – December 10, 1950), was a Korean politician and academic during the Korean independence movement and a leader of the Provisional Government of the ...
*
Choe Nam-seon
Choe Nam-seon (April 26, 1890 – October 10, 1957), also known by the Japanese language, Japanese pronunciation of his name Sai Nanzen, was a prominent modern Korean historian, pioneering poet, and publisher, and a leading member of the Korean i ...
See also
*
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 communi ...
*
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 s ...
*
Daeryeong Suksu
*
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 an ...
*
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 ...
References
External links
''infoKorea''{{Joseon dynasty
Korean caste system
Social classes
Society of the Joseon dynasty