The Pyeongsan Shin clan (Korean: 평산 신씨) is an aristocratic yangban clan which originates from Korea. The clan was key in helping the foundation of the Goryeo Kingdom in the 10th century. Although the clan gained its initial power in the military history, it converted into a more political aristocracy during the later Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire.
Not all Koreans with the family name Shin today belong to the Pyeongsan Shin clan. The majority descend from commoners who took the name in the first half of the twentieth century, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Others belong to other unrelated clans, such as the Goryeong Shin clan.
Descendants of the original Pyeongsan Shin clan are divided into different branches. One of the most famous branches is the Sagangong branch. Certain Sagangong branch descendants achieved high political positions within Korea. Nowadays, some Sagangong descendants can be found outside Korea, most notably in Europe.
Read more about Pyeongsan Shin Clan: Clan History During The Goryeo Period (918-1392), Clan History During The Joseon Period (1392-1910), Name Concepts, Sagangong Branch of The Pyeongsan Shin Clan in Korea, Sagangong Branch of The Pyeongsan Shin Clan in Europe
Famous quotes containing the word clan:
“We cannot think of a legitimate argument why ... whites and blacks need be affected by the knowledge that an aggregate difference in measured intelligence is genetic instead of environmental.... Given a chance, each clan ... will encounter the world with confidence in its own worth and, most importantly, will be unconcerned about comparing its accomplishments line-by-line with those of any other clan. This is wise ethnocentricism.”
—Richard Herrnstein (1930–1994)