 During the Joseon Dynasty (AD 1392–1910), the minority Khitans eventually assimilated into the social structure as the "Baekjeong," the first butcher class, occupying the lowest class of society.The Joseon government assigned the Baekjeong the task of addressing the feral dog problem, and thus dog meat became a food item for the poor (and lower classes).During the Joseon Dynasty, certain government officials argued that dogs were human companions and wanted to ban the consumption of dog meat.