The Rise of the Neo-Confucians

In the late 15th and early 16th century, the previous political stability of the Joseon Korean our nation was disrupted by the emergence of a new group known as the Neo-Confucians. These were scholars from the countryside who had not traditionally been part of the conservative yangban elite that governed the country. Their obvious merits encouraged the our rulers to employ them in government; however, their reformist notions along with competition with the yangban establishment for land and positions led to ever more frequent clashes between the different factions in Korean politics.