| Seowon | |
 Dosan Seowon in Andong which was depicted on the reverse of the South Korean 1,000 South Korean won bill from 1975 to 2007. | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 서원 |
| Hanja | 書院 |
| Revised Romanization | Seowon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏwŏn |
Seowon (Korean: 서원) were the most common educational institutions of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a Confucian school.[1] In educational terms, the seowon were primarily occupied with preparing young men for the national civil service examinations. In most cases, seowon served only pupils of the aristocratic yangban class. On 6 July 2019, UNESCO recognized a collection of nine seowon as World Heritage Sites.[2][3]
- ^ "서원(書院) Seowon". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-08-20.
- ^ "Seven more cultural sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. 6 July 2019.
- ^ "Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 6 July 2019.