Baekjeong

Baekjeong
A masked person acting as a baekjeong butcher in a play
Korean name
Hangul	백정
Hanja	白丁
Revised Romanization	Baekjeong
McCune–Reischauer	Paekchŏng

The baekjeong (Korean: 백정) were an untouchable caste in Korea,^[1] originating from some minority, nomadic groups of disputed ethnicity. In the early part of the Goryeo period (918–1392), these minorities were largely settled in fixed communities.^[1] However, the Mongol invasion left Korea in disarray and anomie and these groups became nomadic.^[1] Subgroups of the baekjeong included the chaein (才人 "entertainers") and the hwachae (禾尺) or suchae (水尺),^[2] who were primarily butchers. The baekjeong occupied specific professions like butchery, tanning, basket weaving and performing executions.^[1] During the Goryeo period, "baekjeong" was used as a neutral term to refer to the common people.^[3] From the time of the Joseon dynasty, it became an insulting title used to refer to the lowest class of society.^[4] In addition, since the Joseon dynasty, "baekjeong" has been also used to denigrate a person.^[5][6] In contemporary South Korea, the term is mainly associated with the meaning of a butcher and even used in the restaurants' names.^[7][8]