South Korea Slavery

Slave Records (Noye Kirok)
These records are registers of enslaved persons and their families. These records are a primary source of vital data and family relationships of members of enslaved families.

At the bottom of the Korean social hierarchy were the lowly people (chunmin) who made up about 30% of the population. Most people of this class were hereditary slaves (nobi). These were persons who had for various reasons become chattel property: they could be bought, sold, and inherited. Slaves were emancipated in Korea in 1894. Records exist from 1800 to 1910. Records contain names, ages, family relationships, residence; and are arranged by locality.

Most of the original records have been lost or destroyed. The remaining records are maintained under good conditions in the Kyujanggak collection, Seoul National University Library. These records appear not to be easily accessible to the general population.