Disability Welfare in Medieval Korea: Chosŏn’s Confucianism and Its Perception of Disability

By Jaewon Kim

Today, the disability population in Korea is nearly invisible. Despite the recent popularization of Korean pop culture, the social representation of minorities, especially those deemed imperfect, is often excluded from popular culture in an attempt to glamorize the newly emerging global enterprise. However, this scene is not exclusive to Korean media. If you ask any Koreans who spent their childhood in their native society about the topic of disability, their answers would include the experiences related to the disability slurs or that they pity people with disabilities. In light of this negative social connotation of disability, there have been a few endeavors to change the narrative. The recent release of the K-drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) and the movie Marathon (2005) featured protagonists with developmental disabilities and their outstanding career achievements to debunk existing stereotypes. Also, the administrative laws were implemented in 1981 under the name of ‘Physical and Mental Disability Welfare Law (Simin changeja pokji pŏp / 심신장애자복지법)’ to protect the excluded population and aid their rehabilitation. Yet, the deep-rooted disregard of the disability remains.

However, the Korean society’s exclusion of disability from the mainstream is not an old practice. Rather, many historical records suggest that the ancient and medieval Korean states recognized the everyday challenges posed by disabilities, yet also understood their multifaceted characteristics as members of Korean society. For this reason, until the very beginning of Japanese colonization of Korea (1910-1945), the disability population was generally referred to as ‘ill body (병신/Pyŏngsin)’ and ‘ill person (병자/Pyŏngja),’ indicating that disability was an illness that could be cured rather than a permanent condition. This terminology and perspective on disability soon shifted when a new term, ‘Disabled person (불구자/Pulguja)’, was introduced by the colonial government. The term, which originated in Japan to survey the population eligible for military enlistment and taxation, implied a lack of physical or mental capacity and came into use with a negative connotation, referring to individuals deemed useless. Therefore, often, people with disability were exempt from the state duties, but this also perpetuated negative stereotypes of people who did not contribute to social causes.

Unlike the Japanese colonial government, the medieval Korean kingdom, Chŏson (조선/1392-1910), had a different perspective on social minorities. With a foundation in Confucianism, an ideology that emphasizes the welfare of marginalized groups and the coexistence of all people, the government's policies for individuals with physical and psychological difficulties were a matter of obligation. Therefore, Kyŏngguk taejŏn (경국대전), Chosŏn’s supreme law book, includes numerous welfare laws regarding people with disability. These laws include the taxation and military enlistment exemption of not only the disabled, but also their family members who serve as caregivers. Also, despite the general law prohibiting anyone who is not noble from riding horses in the capital, people who are old or disabled were not subject to the law. Similarly, the disability welfare also extended to the establishment of institutions that aimed to aid people in need with medications, food, funerals, and shelter. In this way, the Chosŏn society comprehended the everyday struggle that disability brings to individuals and provided administrative aids to minimize the disparity between the able and disabled. However, this does not indicate that Chosŏn patronized its social minorities. 

One of the ways that Chosŏn pursued a coexistence society was through equal employment opportunities and self-sustaining policies that encouraged the independence of its disabled population. This effort is especially well-demonstrated through the specialization of jobs, such as musicians, astrologers, and weather forecasters, who were mainly employed by the government. Additionally, the education system often integrated both able and disabled students into one classroom, providing equal opportunities for those who are qualified for the civil entrance exam. Accordingly, the Chosŏn dynasty has produced a number of talents who had disabilities, marking its social embrace of individual differences and recognition of disability as part of its society. 

As discussed above, despite the broad assumption that medieval Korean society was a conservative, classist state, the Chosŏn was a space of inclusivity. It respected individuals’ differences and adjusted welfare policies to support social minorities, creating a social safety net for those whom others could exploit. Additionally, its perspective on people with disabilities differed from that of the modern age, as Chosŏn recognized their ability to participate in communal benefits and established administrative institutions to encourage their independence, which directly relates to the development of narratives surrounding a group of people. Though it may have many political flaws as a state with a class system that oppressed many people, there are some aspects that we can learn and adopt into contemporary society to halt the implied discrimination towards people who are deemed as different.

References

Chŏng, Ch’anggwon (Jeong, Chang-kwon). “Chosŏn sidae changae pokjibŏp kwa chalip chŏngch’aek.” 조선시대 장애 복지법과 자립 정책 [Disability Welfare Act and Self-reliance Policy during the Joseon Dynasty]. Minjok munhaksa yŏngu 민족문학사연구 Vol 84, no 84 (2024): 37-73.

O, Seyŏng (Oh, Seyoung). “Ilje kangjŏm ki changaein ŭi salm kwa pokji chŏngch’aek -chosŏn ch’ongtokbu ŭi changae insik e taehan pip’anjŏk koch’alǔl chungsim e ro-” 일제강점기 장애인의 삶과 복지정책 -조선총독부의 장애인식에 대한 비판적 고찰을 중심으로- [The life and welfare policies of people with disabilities in Japanese colonial period; Centering around the Critical consideration on Disability Recognition by the Japanese Government-General of Korea]. Wonbulgyo sasang kwa chonggyo munhwa 원불교사상과 종교문화Vol 103 (2025): 171-202.

Yi, Suyŏng (이수영). “Hanguk changaein pokji ŭi yŏksa kwajŏng mit hyŏnghwang kwa kwaje” 한국장애인복지의 역사과정 및 현황과 과제 [The history and current problems of Korean disability welfare]. Hanguk tongyang chŏngch’I sasang sahakhoe 한국동양정치사상사학회 (2014):131-164.

Kyŏngguk taejŏn (經國大典)