Chungin
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The chungin were the upper middle class of the Joseon Dynasty in medieval and early modern Korean society. This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty bureaucrats and other
Middle Class in Joseon
Young Korean man of the middle class, 1904
Yangban
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The yangban were the ruling class during the Joseon period of dynastic Korea. They were highly educated aristocrats who individually exemplified the Korean Confucian form of the scholar-official. They
Chungin
…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. Chungin were the lifeblood of the Korean Confucian agrarian bureaucracy, on whom the upper classes…
A Korean official during his stay in China, 1863
A leisure class: a yangban takes a break while hunting. Hyewon, early 19th century.
One of the earliest photographs depicting yangban, taken in 1863.