Asian Literature

While Palaiss essay addresses the political, religious, and social upheavals of Korean history during the Choson dynasty of the 14th century, the dominance of the yangban during this period to the late 18th century is the primary focus. A group defined by their Confucian valuereligious system, landedmaster status in  agriculture, as well as their integral involvement in the politics helped to shape the future of Korea. Not only were they involved in the chief aspect of business in the country, namely agriculture, but their influence spread to the capital itself. As Palais notes, Korean officials were ale to exercise considerable influence and limit the degree of monarchial power because of the influence of their families at both the national and local levels ... called yangban, and their existence posed a serious obstacle to the creation of the kind of dominant imperial power (391).

Of great importance in discussing the yang ban is this political control that saw many kings deposed (Palais 398) it is no mere accident that the yangban were able to gain such strong political control but the weakness of the monarchy itself that allowed the yangban to flourish. Aside from their role in centralizing the government, as I noted, they also attempted to change the religious and political landscape of the area through the imposition of Confucian thought in place of traditional modes of worship and Buddhism (398) as well as the rules that governed inheritance, taxes and the military as the society became almost exclusively based upon Confucian thought.

Despite many of the changes, for six centuries, until the nationalist movement swept the country in the early 20th century, the yangban were the most powerful social group in Korea. Theyd done everything in their political power to maintain the status quo. Even when threatened, as they were in the case of King Yongjos reforms to curb corruption and favoritism when in the end a coalition of the different yangban tribes were made into a coalition (402). Despite their best efforts to remain in control, the loss of the centralized bureaucracy of the monarchy and a move away from agriculture spelled the end for yangban class and ushered in the new era.