Joseon Yangban Bureaucratic System

Timeline

1. 1301–1392Gaeseong–Hanseong · Korean PeninsulaIn the late Goryeo period the split between civil and military yangban intensified; after Yi Seong-gye founded the Joseon dynasty he retained and reformed the examination and hereditary appointment systems, reorganizing the bureaucratic stratum around founding meritorious officials and scholar-officials, laying the foundation of yangban rule.
2. 1418–1490Hanseong Six Ministries and Seonggyungwan · South KoreaKing Sejong's reign refined examination procedures, added royal lectures and the Gyori Hall, and strengthened Neo-Confucian education. King Seongjong's reign compiled the Gyeongguk Daejeon, fixing yangban appointments, hereditary privilege, and local covenant institutions in code, with the central Six Ministries and the Eight Provinces surveillance system operating maturely.
3. 1491–1500Hanseong · South KoreaFrom Yeonsangun to the early years of Jungjong, yangban scholar-officials maintained the tradition of civil governance through royal lectures, the censorate, and appointments to the Six Ministries, with examinations and provincial tests held on schedule. Power struggles between the Sarim and the meritocratic old guard intensified, but the institutional framework of the yangban as the ruling class remained firm at the end of the 15th century.