the king’s health. The examinations for medical licensing occurred until 1894, when the civil service examination agency was abolished. Up until then, all social status systems, the number of candidates, procedures, methods of testing, and agency were stringently enforced and maintained. State-supported education Seonggyungwan The Seonggyungwan was the highest educational institution in Joseon, and attracted scholars from across the country. It was based on the Goryeo-period Gukjagam. Confucian curriculum The Korean Confucian curriculum was based on the Chinese educational system which had 15 or so primary works, and a large number of exegetical works, along with graded exams that were on set topics. All of these works were written in Chinese, the academic written language of Joseon. A common introductory textbook was the Lesser Learning, an exegetical work by Zhu Xi. Sonbi Among the forefront of the different social classes were the Sonbi, known as the gentleman-scholar, who were remembered for their devotion to Neo-Confucian studies. Typically, their social standing was upper-class. Commonly, they disciplined themselves in Confucian teachings, with the aim of improving their learning and character which would eventually render them capable of governing the general populace. Generally, the Sonbi aimed to become scholar-officials. Education for the Sonbi began with the teaching of the lessons outlined by Seohak, specifically The Learning of the Young. Seohak was utilized as a moral training for young children and emphasized basic principles of principles of conduct, such as cleanliness and how to conduct oneself. Although moral training was conducted in all social classes, Sonbi, who were an upper-class, had their moral training emphasized. Footnotes Nahm (1996), p. 110. Hong & Paik (2018) Jung (1998) References See also History of Korea Education in North Korea Education in South Korea Korean Confucianism