, ▁own ▁property . ▁Private ▁slaves ▁could ▁buy ▁their ▁freedom . ▁ ▁Many ▁of ▁the ▁remaining ▁ 4 0 - 5 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁population ▁were ▁surely ▁far mers , ▁but ▁recent ▁work ▁has ▁raised ▁important ▁issues ▁about ▁the ▁size ▁of ▁other ▁groups : ▁mer ch ants ▁and ▁trad ers , ▁local ▁government ▁or ▁quasi - g overn ment al ▁cler ks ▁( Ch ung in ), ▁craft s men ▁and ▁labor ers , ▁text ile ▁workers , ▁etc . ▁Given ▁the ▁size ▁of ▁the ▁population , ▁it ▁may ▁be ▁that ▁a ▁typical ▁person ▁had ▁more ▁than ▁one ▁role . ▁Most ▁far ming ▁was , ▁at ▁any ▁rate , ▁commercial , ▁not ▁subs istence . ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁generating ▁additional ▁income , ▁a ▁certain ▁amount ▁of ▁occup ational ▁de xter ity ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁required ▁to ▁avoid ▁the ▁worst ▁effects ▁of ▁an ▁often ▁heavy ▁and ▁cor rupt ▁tax ▁system . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁Late ▁Jose on , ▁the ▁Conf u cian ▁ide als ▁of ▁propri ety ▁and ▁" fil ial ▁p iety " ▁gradually ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁equ ated ▁with ▁a ▁strict ▁observ ance ▁to ▁a ▁complex ▁social ▁hierarchy , ▁with ▁many ▁fine ▁grad ations . ▁By ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁the ▁social ▁critic ▁Y i ▁Jung h wan ▁( 1 6 9 0 – 1 7 5 6 ) ▁sar cast ically ▁compla ined ▁that ▁"[ W ] ith ▁so ▁many ▁different ▁ranks ▁and ▁gr ades ▁separ ating ▁people ▁from ▁one ▁another , ▁people ▁tend ▁not ▁to ▁have