A group of literati known collectively as the yangban dominated society during the Chosôn dynasty (1392–1910). Like its meaning, “two orders,” yangban were divided into two classes, civil (munban) and military (muban). The yangban was expected to hold public office, follow the Confucian doctrine through study and self-cultivation, and help cultivate the moral standards of Chosôn society. As an elite class, the yangban enjoyed special privileges and actively sought to preserve the purity and exclusivity of their group, some of which include marrying only among themselves and living in separate quarters of Seoul. There was, however, internal hierarchy within the yangban group—for instance, the civil order being more prestigious than the military. (Korea old and new) Toward the end of the Chosôn dynasty, the grievances and protests of large numbers of discontented or "fallen" yangban would erode the core of yangban society.(bookrags)

Yangban wasn’t legally defined but......

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Title: The Fall Of The Yangban
Approximate Word Count: 463
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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