User:Candiesrgood/Sandbox I

Reformed caste system

 * Yangban
 * The nobility, comprised most civil servants, constituting ~10% of the population
 * This caste was hereditary and held most of the wealth, the slaves and the land
 * Were exempted from national conscription, manual labor, and taxation
 * Had to participate in government exams to obtain high government positions
 * Nobles lived separately from the sangmin, in designated areas of a settlement
 * Chung-in
 * Small, but important caste, comprised ~5% of the population
 * Included; interpreters, scribes, astronomers, accountants, physicians, and musicians.
 * Small provincial officeholders also belonged to this class
 * This caste included the illegitimate children of yangban (from concubines or commoners)
 * The seo-eol (illegitimate children) not recognised as yangban and thus could not inherit land or wealth from their parents nor participate in government exams
 * Sang-in
 * Small, but also very important caste, comprised ~5% of the population
 * Included merchants and traders
 * The highest caste a commoner could ascend to
 * Upper sangmin
 * Share of population fluctuates; ~1–5% of the population
 * Military personnel, excluding top positions like general etc. (the highest positionsa re held by yangban)
 * Lower sangmin
 * Comprised ~65–70% of the population
 * Peasants, artisans, fishermen comprise this caste
 * May also participate in manual labor in industry for higher wages than normal
 * They are obliged to pay taxes,
 * Cheonmin
 * Comprised 9–14% of the population
 * Included slaves, both state and and privately owned
 * Included entertainers, professionals dealing with animal slaughter (butchers, people working with animal skins), innkeepers, gisaengs, entertainers, gravediggers, bark peelers, basket makers, shamans and ferrymen
 * A hereditary status, and children of this caste can not advance on the social ladder.

Turn

 * Korea: With the reapprochmenet of Sino–Korean relations well-underway, Korean yangban students are sent to Shenyang to study Chinese techniques and technology, in hopes of implementing them domestically. The Manchu–Korean border wall continues to be reinforced, but there is unrestricted access for Chinese and Manchu nationals wishing to cross into Korea. In order to incentivize conscription, the central government promises lower tax rates to those who conscript. The saeguk policy is further reinforced due to reported Japanese piracy along the Korea strait, with exceptions between the Chinese and the Manchu. With commerce with China being restored (its previous largest trading partner), precious metals and minerals are sold in lucrative Chinese markets, flooding the national treasury with revenue. To increase popularity among the peasantry, the central government lowers the tax rate slightly. The militarization campaign (songun) continues under King Kim Jimin. Industrial complexes continue growth, with the growth of chaebol firms under yangban nobles. Production of gunpowder weaponries (e.g., the Korean cannon, wheel-lock rifles, hwacha), while the metallurgical industries are augmented with the construction of blast-furnaces. Mines spring across the northern countryside to harness northern Korea's vast mineral wealth. With Confucianism being reintroduced after decades of Buddhist promotion, a vast majority of Koreans now adhere to Confucian faith. Confucian values such as scholarship, merit, and artistry are promoted, and several academies and universities are built with many of the elite partaking in education.