▁a ▁very ▁large ▁circle ▁of ▁friends ." ▁But , ▁even ▁as ▁Y i ▁wrote , ▁the ▁inform al ▁social ▁dist in ctions ▁of ▁the ▁Early ▁Jose on ▁were ▁being ▁rein for ced ▁by ▁legal ▁disc rim ination , ▁such ▁as ▁Sum pt u ary ▁law ▁reg ulating ▁the ▁dress ▁of ▁different ▁social ▁groups , ▁and ▁laws ▁restrict ing ▁inheritance ▁and ▁property ▁ownership ▁by ▁women . ▁ ▁Yet , ▁these ▁laws ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁announced ▁precisely ▁because ▁social ▁mob ility ▁was ▁increasing , ▁particularly ▁during ▁the ▁prosper ous ▁century ▁beginning ▁about ▁ 1 7 1 0 . ▁The ▁original ▁social ▁hierarchy ▁of ▁the ▁Jose on ▁D ynast y ▁was ▁developed ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁social ▁hierarchy ▁of ▁the ▁G ory e o ▁era . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 4 th – 1 6 th ▁centuries , ▁this ▁hierarchy ▁was ▁strict ▁and ▁stable . ▁Since ▁economic ▁opportun ities ▁to ▁change ▁status ▁were ▁limited , ▁no ▁law ▁was ▁needed . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 7 – 1 9 th ▁centuries , ▁however , ▁new ▁commercial ▁groups ▁emer ged , ▁and ▁the ▁old ▁class ▁system ▁was ▁extremely ▁weak ened . ▁Es pecially , ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁Da egu ▁region ' s ▁Yang ban ▁class ▁was ▁expected ▁to ▁reach ▁nearly ▁ 7 0 ▁percent ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 8 . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 0 1 , ▁Government - owned ▁slaves ▁were ▁all ▁em an cip ated , ▁and ▁the ▁institution ▁gradually ▁died ▁out ▁over ▁the ▁next ▁century . ▁By ▁ 1 8 5 8