HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Cheonmin'' (), or "vulgar commoners", were the lowest caste of commoners in dynastical Korea. They abounded during the
Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...
(918–1392) and
Joseon 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 re ...
(1392–1897) periods of Korea's agrarian bureaucracy.


Social class system

In the
caste system in Korea Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural ...
, 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 Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spirit ...
, shoemakers, metalworkers, prostitutes, magicians, sorcerers, jail-keepers, and performers (like the '' kisaeng''). '' Nobi'' (slaves) were servants taken from the cheonmin class to serve ''
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) 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 prejudice early on in Korea's history, as the ''cheonmin'' were barred from most forms of social advancement, including entry into government service or taking the ''
gwageo The ''gwageo'' or ''kwago'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge of the Chinese clas ...
'' civil service examinations. The ''cheonmin'', although a step above the traditional caste of untouchables or outcasts called the '' baekjeong'', lived segregated lives, like the ''baekjeong'', isolated from the rest of society and shunted away in ghettoes far away from the rest of society. While the ''cheonmin'' performed tasks that other Koreans considered unclean or undignified, they still had an essential function and role within dynastic Korean society. Their work as butchers, shoemakers, low-class entertainers, performing unclean jobs, provided services to the other classes that were unavailable from anyone else.


Legacy

While the class and caste system of dynastical Korea no longer exists and has largely disappeared in the modern era, remnants of such social discrimination based solely on one's occupation or a forebearer's previous line of work continue to shape traditional Korean thinking and values today.


Exceptions

In all the history of the Joseon Dynasty there are only a few extraordinary examples of a ''cheonmin'' who overcame their class status.
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 ...
gained the highest rank of a royal noble consort in Joseon, just one step under the Queen. Choe, the mother of King Yeongjo, originally entered the Palace as a ''musuri'' or a slave-girl. Due to his mother's humble origins, Yeongjo suffered multiple attempts on his life when he was named Crown Prince during the reign of his half brother. Although he was adopted by Queen Inwon and was under her protection, many nobles were against a low-born prince ruling the country as king. Jang Geum (
fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...
early 16th century;
family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
Seo), originally an ''
uinyeo ''Uinyeo'' () were female physicians who specialized in the treatment of women during the Joseon dynasty (1392 – 1910) of Korea. The uinyeo were established as a solution to social taboos against women receiving treatment from male physicia ...
'' of the ''cheonmin'' class, became the first female Royal Physician in
Korean history The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825. The earliest ...
. According to the '' Annals of the Joseon Dynasty''
King Jungjong Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. ...
recognized Jang Geum's medical knowledge and entrusted her the royal care of all royal family members. King Jungjung therefore, promoted Jang Geum to become the third highest-ranking officer in the Court, and was granted the use of ''Dae ''() (which means "great" in Korean) before her first name.


See also

*
Korean culture The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...
*
Untouchable (social system) Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...
*
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 ...
*
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 o ...
* Sangmin * Nobi * Baekjeong


References

{{Reflist Korean caste system Goryeo Joseon dynasty Social classes