Yangban were the elite of Choson Korea (1392–1910), with characteristics of a hereditary aristocracy. The term originated in the Koryo dynasty (918–1392) and indicated the two ranks of officials, civil (tongban) and military (soban)....

The yangban were a well educated scholarly class of male Confucian scholars who were part of the ruling elite within Korea prior to 1910 and the republics period of Korean history. The name yangban, literally "both classes," refers to two kinds of...