Hangul 영감 Revised Romanization Younggam, Young-gam | Hanja 令監 McCune–Reischauer Youngkam, Young-kam | |
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Yeong-gam or Younggam (hangul:영감, in hanja:令監) is a nickname or Korean honorific for an old man in Korea. Yeong-gam was historically an honorific title for second-level and third-level civil servants; Vice-Minister, Assistant Secretary of the Korean Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynastys.
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Over time the word became an honorific or nickname for a judge, county governor, head of a township or old man. In recent years, yeong-gam has come to be used primarily as a nickname for elderly men. Yeong-gam has been used in Korea for more than a thousand years.
History
Yeong-gam was first used as an honorific for a lower level civil servants of the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynastys, though the first instance of its use is unknown. Nyeong-gam(녕감, 령감), was the first spelling used for this name, it was later changed to yeong-gam. The term yeong-gam comes after public office and peerage titles in a man's name.
In the Joseon Dynastys, men over their 80th birthday were bestowed the honorary position Assistant Secretary. At their 90th birthday they were given the honorary position of Vice-Minister.
With the fall of Joseon, the position of 'Sang-gam(상감)'. Along with the change in the meaning of these positions, Korean patriarchal perspectives were added to the usages of young-gam, which became a common designation; 1. When judges refer to each other 2. When others who are not judges refer to judges 3. When people refer to the mayor 4. When people refer to their elders 5. When women refer to their husbands.
After the Joseon dynastys, the use of yeong-gam continued in Japan and Colonial Korea as an honorific for the position of country governor, judge, prosecutor, and district attorney.
Modern usage
After 1962, the Supreme Court of South Korea sought to eliminate the habit of using the term ‘Young-gam’ for judges since it was considered to be an anti-democratic thought. In modern Korea 'Young-gam’ is commonly used as a suffix that comes after the last name of elderly men.
During the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynastys yeong-gam followed one's title, in modern use yeong-gam is used by itself.
Homographs
Young-gam is a homograph. It is not only a title for elderly men, it means 'inspiration' in Korean (Hangul).