The understanding of Nobi (奴婢) in the early Joseon (朝鮮) period is very important for understanding the nature of Joseon society, which was governed by a social class system (身分制) centered on the Yangban (兩班) ruling elite. Previous academic research has analyzed the dual nature of Nobi domination : on the one hand, the Yangban ruling class justified its control over Nobi through Neo-Confucian (性理學) ideology; on the other hand, while demanding humane treatment of Nobi, the ruling class also sought to restrain what was regarded as Nobi’s improper or presumptuous behavior. Although Korean history textbooks have made progress over the years by incorporating the findings of such research, their descriptions have had certain limitations. In particular, they have tended to emphasize the harsh conditions of the Nobi, who occupied the lowest social status, while failing to explain the historical significance of the dynastic transition from late Goryeo (高麗) to early Joseon in connection with changes in the Nobi system. Moreover, students have tended to understand Nobi in the early Joseon period simply as a group whose status-based discrimination intensified with the establishment of a Confucian society, or to focus exclusively on the poor conditions of Nobi who were exploited and oppressed by the Yangban ruling class. In particular, the recent publication of Was King Sejong Truly a Great King? (세종은 과연 성군인가), which gained popularity and had an influence on people online, is likely to reinforce these limitations in students’ understanding of Nobi in the early Joseon period. This condition highlights the need to improve the way Nobi are presented in textbooks. In seeking directions for such improvement, it is particularly important to focus on Neo-Confucian ideology, which shaped the nature of Nobi governance in the early Joseon period. Neo-Confucianism, which provided the ideological foundation for people-oriented politics (民本政治), and served both as the ideological basis of reform movements in the late Goryeo period and as the founding ideology of the Joseon dynasty, demanded that the ruling class show benevolent concern for subordinate groups, including Nobi. Describing this aspect in textbooks would provide a foundation for students to properly understand, within its historical context, the changes through which Nobi also came to be incorporated as subjects of people-oriented politics during the dynastic transition from late Goryeo to early Joseon. Furthermore, while Neo-Confucian ideology presupposed the superiority of the ruling class, it also emphasized a mutually reciprocal relationship between the ruling and subordinate classes, as well as benevolent treatment of the subordinate classes, including Nobi. Describing this aspect in textbooks would help overcome the limitation of focusing solely on the poor conditions of Nobi and provide a foundation for a wider understanding of the dual nature of Nobi governance, which imposed status-based restrictions on Nobi while also calling for their humane treatment.