Seowon

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Joseon-era private schools in Korea

title: "Seowon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["seowon", "education-in-joseon", "world-heritage-sites-in-south-korea"] description: "Joseon-era private schools in Korea" topic_path: "geography/south-korea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seowon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Joseon-era private schools in Korea ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Korean name/auto"]

FieldValue
imageKorea-Andong-Dosan Seowon 3015-06.JPG
captionDosan Seowon in Andong which was depicted on the reverse of the South Korean 1,000 South Korean won bill from 1975 to 2007.
hangul서원
hanja書院
::

|image=Korea-Andong-Dosan Seowon 3015-06.JPG |caption=Dosan Seowon in Andong which was depicted on the reverse of the South Korean 1,000 South Korean won bill from 1975 to 2007. |hangul=서원 |hanja =書院

ko () were the most common educational institutions of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a Confucian school. In educational terms, the ko were primarily occupied with preparing young men for the national civil service examinations. In most cases, ko served only pupils of the aristocratic ko class. On 6 July 2019, UNESCO recognized a collection of nine ko as World Heritage Sites.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Korea-Andong-Gosan_Seowon-01.jpg" caption="seowon}}"] ::

ko first appeared in Korea in the early Joseon Dynasty, whose establishment were driven mainly by the Sarim Neo-Confucian scholars. While the exact year of ko introduction in Korea is not known for certain, in 1418 King Sejong issued rewards to two scholars for their work in setting up ko in Gimje and Gwangju. The first ko to receive a royal charter was the Sosu Seowon in Punggi, presided over by Toegye, which was given a hanging board by King Myeongjong in 1550. While historian Michael Shin mentions that the earliest ko was established in North Gyeongsang by Ju Sebung (1495–1554).

Large numbers of ko were established by leading ko (literati), or by local groups of ko families. Some of the Sarim scholars who retired to villages in the wake of literati purges of the 16th century used the ko as their political bases.

They were modeled after early private Chinese academies of classical learning zh. The latter originated in the 8th century under the Tang dynasty, and were later dismantled under the Yuan dynasty to become preparatory schools for the imperial examinations under government control.

Most ko were closed by an edict of the regent Daewon-gun in the turbulent final years of the 19th century. He banned the unauthorized construction of ko in 1864, and removed their tax exemption in 1868; finally, in 1871, he ordered all but a handful closed. The provincial ko were outraged by these measures, and this is among the reasons that Daewon-gun was driven from power in 1873; however, the ko remained closed.

World Heritage Site

| WHS = Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies | image = | image_upright = | caption = | includes = Nine seowon sites in South Korea | criteria = (iii) | ID = 1498 | year = 2019 | area = 102.49 ha | buffer_zone = 796.74 ha | locmapin = South Korea | map_caption =

ko, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies is a World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of nine ko:

Korean cultural heritage sites

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/갈천서원Galcheon_Seowon.jpg" caption="Galcheon Seowon"] ::

In 1741 (Yeongjo 17), when seowon were abolished due the corruption associated with them and because of their role in factional politics, the number of seowon was close to 1,000.

Currently, approximately 150 seowon are cultural heritage sites in South Korea, with many having been restored. They continue to function as shrines to Confucian scholars who performed some significant service to Joseon, contributed to Joseon learning, or were simply family members, but seowons also may also be used for events, such as academic colloquia. See for example, Gangseon Seowon, Hyoam Seowon , and Galcheon Seowon.

Notes

References

References

  1. "서원(書院) Seowon".
  2. (6 July 2019). "Seven more cultural sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List".
  3. "Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies". UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
  4. Shin, Michael D.. (2014). "Everyday Life in Joseon-Era Korea". Global Oriental.
  5. Park et al. (2002), p. 70.
  6. Park et al. (2002), p. 70; (1984), p. 207.
  7. (1984), p. 262.
  8. "Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies: Multiple locations". UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
  9. "강성서원(江城書院) Gangseon seowon".
  10. "효암서원(孝岩書院) Hyoam Seow0n".
  11. "갈천서원(葛川書院) Galcheon Seowon".

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seowoneducation-in-joseonworld-heritage-sites-in-south-korea