Sanghoe

Sanghoe is the romanized form of the Korean term 상회, which historically referred to merchant associations or guilds in Korea. In traditional Korean commerce, sanghoe were organized groups of merchants that governed trade, set market rules, and provided mutual support to members. They tended to be organized by city or region and sometimes by commodity, such as textiles, ginseng, or foreign wares. Members paid dues and elected leaders to oversee fair pricing, quality control, weight and measure standards, and dispute resolution. Sanghoe often interacted with local government authorities, serving as intermediaries between merchants and the state, collecting taxes or dues, and representing merchant interests in official markets or fairs. The structure and authority of sanghoe varied over time and place, ranging from loosely coordinated networks to formal associations with codified statutes.

In modern Korean usage, sanghoe as a historical term is primarily encountered in studies of commerce and urban history. Contemporary Korean terms for trading associations or chambers of commerce are usually rendered as 상공회 or 상회 in specific contexts, and modern organizations operate under current law. The romanization Sanghoe may also appear in proper names or transliterations of overseas Korean communities, but its exact meaning depends on context and hanja characters.

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