Slavery in Korea

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Slavery in Korea existed in various forms from its origins in antiquity over 2,000 years ago to its gradual abolition in the late Joseon period, beginning in the 18th century and culminating in 1894.

The nature of the nobi system is widely debated, with scholars agreeing that it constituted a form of serfdom until at least the Goryeo period (ca 918–1392) but disagreeing whether it constituted slavery, serfdom, or both during the Joseon period (1392-1897). In Korean, slave is translated as 'noye' which were a class of people with no legal rights unlike the 'nobi' who had the right to private property, subsistence wages, and were contractually obligated through debt.^[1] The Joseon dynasty was a stratified society mainly ruled by the yangban class, in which wealth was measured by ownership of land and nobi.^[2] During this period, the nobi of the majority "non-resident" group owned land,^[3] and some even owned nobi contracts,^[4] thus complicating the definition of 'slavery' as slaves in the international context usually did not have such legal rights.

Slavery was not widespread during the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla periods.^[5] Slaves/Serfs comprised no more than 10 percent of the population before the Joseon period.^[6] The nobi system was a major institution during the Joseon period and an important part of the economy. The nobi system peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries and then declined in the 18th and 19th centuries.^[7] The nobi comprised at least 30 percent of the population between the 15th and 17th centuries.^[8] They were much more numerous in the southern half of the country, where their population possibly reached 40 percent, and much less numerous in the northern half of the country, where their status was not hereditary.^[9] The nobi population was substantial in the capital, Seoul, where 1729 out of 2374, or 73 percent, were registered as nobi in a hojeok from 1663.^[10][11] The term meoseum, or "hired servant", was used instead of the term nobi in the northern half of the country.^[12] The Joseon dynasty undermined the nobi system in 1731, 1744, 1783, and 1801.^[13] The nobi population declined to 1.5% by 1858.^[4] The nobi system was officially abolished in 1894 but vestiges of it remained until the mid-20th century.^[14]

In modern South Korea, slavery, or more generally referred to as human trafficking, is illegal, although it is estimated that as of 2018 there are about 99,000 slaves (about 0.195% of the population) in existence, according to the Global Slavery Index.^[15] In North Korea, slavery is still practiced by the country's regime.^[16][17][18] According to the Global Slavery Index, an estimated 10.4% of the North Korean population is effectively enslaved as of 2018.^[19]