They formed villages of married lay monks[2] and produced oatmeal paper called hwangji (黃紙) which was used to pay their taxes.

In the mid-fifteenth century, King Sejong conquered the region as far north as the Tumen River, which even today marks Korea's northern border, and established Korean colonies in the area.

[2] Ultimately, although many cultural practices of the Jaegaseung were identical or similar to the folk traditions of Northern Hamgyong province, the community still maintained several distinctive and divergent customs.

The community, unlike their neighbours, wore red clothes during Jesa rites, cremated their dead, allowed women to wear trousers, and were largely vegetarian with the exception of important days.

[10] When a member of the community was sick, a ceremony called 'Daesangwi' (대산귀) was to be held by the Tumen river in order to ensure the wellbeing of the person and village.

[3] Some examples of vocabulary listed as being exclusively used by the Jaegaseung community of North Hamgyong Province include the terms 양소래없다 (yangsoraeeopda) and 덕새없다 (deoksaeeopda), used to denote someone who was immature or lacked common sense.

Otherwise, other unique vocabulary among the Jaegaseung include 무새 (musae, for what reason), 영에 (yeong'e, powdered bean for rice cakes) and 나마리 (namari, edible plants, herbs).