The Yangbans in Korea

During Korea's Yi Dynasty, the aristocrats or the scholar-gentry class were known as yangbans (两班) who were knowledgeable about the Confucian texts. They enjoy high prestige as well as social and economic privileges.

Near the turn of the 19th century, Park Chi-won had this to say about the yangbans:

"Heaven made four classes of people and it made the scholar-gentry class the highest. This class is the yangban who do not have to plough the land or engage in business. Since by study the pass the literary tests, the worse they will become is chinsa (进士). The certificate for passing the exam is called hongbi, or "red symbol". Though it is small in size, the possessor can do anything he wishes and people call it the "money-maker". The possessor can order his neighbors to plow their land before they (plough) their own. If the neighbors are disobedient, they can be punished by (having) bleach pour(ed) down their noses and having their hair grabbed. Even facing these punishments, they are not supposed to complain."

The audacity of the yangbans!

So hardly surprising that Western observers described yangbans as "the licenced vampires of the country" and "the-do-nothing class."