Why did scholar-officials call for land reform at the end of Goryeo?

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Map of the Korean Peninsula highlighted in orange, showing North Korea in the north and South Korea in the south. The peninsula is bordered by China and Russia to the north, the Yellow Sea to the west, the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east, and Japan across the sea to the southeast. A small inset globe at the top left shows the peninsula's location in East Asia. — Korea Map of the Korean Peninsula, indicating northern and southern regions.

At the end of the Goryeo dynasty, scholar-officials (sadaebu) advocated for land reform primarily due to the economic and political instability caused by the concentration of land in the hands of powerful aristocrats.1

These aristocrats established vast manors, forcing tenants to pay excessive taxes and subjecting them to labor and military duties. This system led to a significant decline in state tax revenue and a shrinking pool of citizens available for national service, as many commoners became serfs to escape state levies.1

Furthermore, the government faced a critical shortage of resources, which prevented it from granting land to newly appointed scholar-officials in accordance with their rank. These officials, who were proponents of neo-Confucianism and held small farms in their home districts, viewed the existing land system as unsustainable. Their demand for reform, eventually backed by General Yi Seong-gye, led to the establishment of a new distribution system based on official rank, ultimately precipitating the fall of Goryeo and the rise of the Joseon dynasty.1