History of Korea

Commoners: Yangmin

The bulk of the Choson populace was composed of the yangmin or commoners. They were dubbed sangmin, but the more polite term is yangmin.

Some were bound to the land as tenant farmers, some owned land. Basically, anyone who was not enslaved or bound to anyone and did not fall under the Ch'ônmin class would be yangmin.

Members of this class had to perform corvee labor and pay taxes. In that sense, the yangmin were bound to the state.

Return to Choson Dynasty