Confucianism
Main article: Korean Confucianism
Confucian scholars in traditional dress
Bowing to the ancestors as part of a Jesa, a Confucian ritual.
Confucianism occupied a subordinate position until the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty and the persecution of Buddhism carried out by the early Joseon Dynasty kings. For a millennium Buddhism was the government-sanctioned ideology of Korea. However, this privileged status invited abuse by those in power, and eventually Buddhist decadence became so pervasive that nearly everybody was calling for reform. The spiritual vacuum was filled by Confucianism. In the modern era, there are almost no formal adherents of Confucianism. Yet, its ethical system is still the bedrock of contemporary Korean society.
In the Confucian family model, the welfare of the whole family precedes that of its individual members. Unlike Christian-democratic civilization, with its emphasis on rights, Confucianism is primarily concerned with the fulfillment of responsibilities. Whereas western society focuses on the protection of the individual, Korean society is devoted to the cultivation of relationships. How harmonious bonds are maintained is not left up to the imagination and experimentation of the individual but is predetermined by the Confucian codex. Confucius’ Analects, a compilation of the philosopher’s precepts, was probably the first manual of morals and etiquette available to Koreans. Today, schoolchildren still spend at least one hour a week studying dodeok, or applied ethics.
The Korean language has several expressions that suggest what responsibilities are attached to certain social positions. A hyoja (효자, 孝子) is a son of filial piety—a child who is fully aware of his parents’ needs and attends to them, who understands and consciously tries to fulfill their hopes and expectations for him. A chungsin (충신, 忠臣) is a loyal subject to the king, i.e., a citizen who is devoted to the fulfillment of his patriotic duties. The Korean family system is a universe of its own. Instead of the rather loose arrangement of family relations characteristic of the West, blood ties in Korea are precisely defined in the highly organized and sophisticated network of the extended family. Each relative is assigned a particular place and role in this design. An elder brother is addressed by a younger brother as hyeong (형, 兄) and by a younger sister as oppa (오빠). An elder sister is a nuna (누나) to her younger brother and an eonni (언니) to her younger sister.