Sangmin
Encyclopedia
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 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. They were basically the low-class citizens. Throughout the dynasty, the sangmin rebelled many times because of the yangban
s' oppression and corruption.
A more polite but less accurate name for the sangmin is yangmin. A Korean sangmin was basically a serf
.
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean 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 at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
, just like the chungin
Chungin
The chungin also jungin, were the petite bourgeoisie of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The name "chungin" literally means "middle people". This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty bureaucrats and other skilled workers whose technical and administrative skills enabled the...
were the backbone of the government. Some of the sangmin owned land which they farmed. Others rented land from the yangban
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
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
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
and chungin
Chungin
The chungin also jungin, were the petite bourgeoisie of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The name "chungin" literally means "middle people". This privileged class of commoners consisted of a small group of petty bureaucrats and other skilled workers whose technical and administrative skills enabled the...
controlled and ruled over them. The sangmin did the heavy work. They were basically the low-class citizens. Throughout the dynasty, the sangmin rebelled many times because of the yangban
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
s' oppression and corruption.
A more polite but less accurate name for the sangmin is yangmin. A Korean sangmin was basically a serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
.