Pyeongmin

Korean spelling
Korean alphabet :	평민
Hanja :	平民
Revised Romanization :	Pyeongmin
McCune-Reischauer :	P'yŏngmin

Pyeongmin [pʰjeŋmin] literally means "average citizen". The word was used to denote the middle class during the Joseon Dynasty . Besides Pyeongmin, there were two other social classes: the upper class was called Yangban , and the lower class Cheonmin . The Pyeongmin middle class was all free citizens. Professionally, they were mostly farmers. Although they could lead a free life, they were not allowed to run for office. In addition, they usually did not keep a family tree Jokbo (족보, 族譜), which played an important role in traditional Korea.

The traditional class consciousness continues to have an impact on the Korean soul, albeit in the subconscious. If the average Korean today does not have a family tree, it can be inferred that their ancestors were either Pyeongmin or Cheonmin . In modern times, terms like Seomin (서민 庶民) and Minjung (민중 民衆), which evoke certain political connotations, have a lot to do with the two lower social classes from earlier times.