About: Won (injustice)

In Joseon society, won (Korean: 원; Hanja: 冤; MR: wŏn) described intense negative emotions, often distress, that came from feelings of injustice. Won played an integral role in justice, lawmaking, and daily life in Joseon Korea. Won allowed people of different classes and genders to gain justice through the legal system, breaking down gender, social, and economic barriers in Joseon Korea. Judges considered a person's won in courts of law, with their main goal often being to relieve a person's won to administer justice. Won was perceived as a universal sentiment that every person could feel, regardless of background, thus creating a sense of universal equality in Joseon.