Donghak Peasant Revolution
Encyclopedia
The Donghak Peasant Revolution, also known as the Donghak Peasant Movement, was an anti-government, anti-feudal
and anti-foreign uprising in 1894 in the southern Korea
which was the catalyst for the First Sino-Japanese War
.
The uprising started in Gobu during February 1894, with the peasant
class
protesting against the political corruption
of local government officials. The revolution was named after Donghak
, a Korean religion
stressing "the equality
of all human beings". The government of Joseon Korea forces failed in their attempt to suppress the revolt, with initial skirmishes giving way to major conflicts. Korean court asked Qing China for military assistance to "quell the domestic unrest." When Japanese officials discovered three thousand Chinese troops had disembarked near Seoul in June, Japan's policy makers met to decide how to respond to Qing's violation of the Convention of Tientsin
by "dispatching forces without informing Tokyo."
had become disillusioned with the rule of the upper yangban classes. During the 19th century, drought and floods alternately struck the rice fields and farms of Korea and caused great famines. Making matters worse, the Joseon rulers increased taxes on farm crops and imposed more unpaid labor on the starving peasants. Anti-government and anti-landlord sentiment boiled over into violent uprisings.
In 1812 Hong Gyeong-nae
led the peasants of Gasan in the northern part of Korea into an armed rebellion and occupied the region for several months. An army was sent to quell the rebellion and the revolt was only put down after a savage scorched-earth campaign. All over Korea, all the way to Jeju Island, peasants continued to defy the king in Seoul
, the local nobility and wealthy landlords.
In 1862 half a century after the peasant rebellion led by Hong Gyeong-nae was put down, a group of farmers in Jinju
, Gyeongsang
, province rose up against their oppressive provincial officials and the wealthy landowners. This uprising was the result of the exploitation of destitute farmers by the local ruler.
The rebels killed local government officials and set fire to government buildings. In order to appease the rebels, the government hastily revised the land, military and grain lending systems. It was an ineffectual attempt at reform, as many yangban in the central government were themselves deeply involved in such corruption.
The revolt in Jinju triggered peasant uprisings elsewhere all over Korea; groups of farmers rose up with arms and attacked government offices in principal towns. Many government officials were executed.
The uprisings were generally crushed by government troops. In 1862 the peasants of San-nam and surrounding villages took up arms against the elite, but were brutally butchered by troops. In subsequent years, peasants rose up in small groups all across Korea until 1892.
(최제우, 崔濟愚, 1824–1864) established the ideology of Donghak
(Eastern Learning) in April 1860 with the intention of helping farmers suffering from poverty, unrest and of restoring political and social stability.
The Donghak ideology was a mixture of elements from Korean Confucianism
, Buddhism
and Songyo (teachings of Silla
's Hwarang
), modern humanistic, class-struggle ideas that today may be considered Marxist. It resembled a religion as well as a political ideology. A rhetoric of exclusionism (from foreign influences) and an early form of nationalism were also incorporated.
Donghak themes were set to music so that illiterate farmers could understand and accept them more readily, and systematized as a message of salvation to farmers in distress. His ideas rapidly gained acceptance among the peasantry.
Choe, as well as many Koreans, was also alarmed by the intrusion of Christianity and the Anglo-French occupation of Beijing
during the Second Opium War
. He believed that the best way to counter foreign influence in Korea was to introduce democratic and human rights reforms internally.
Nationalism and social reform struck a chord among the peasant guerrillas, and Donghak spread all across Korea. Progressive revolutionaries organized the peasants into a cohesive structure.
dynasty had been an autonomous tributary state
of Qing
dynasty since the 1637 Second Manchu invasion of Korea
. Apart from this, Korea was isolationist and wary of foreign influence. After several incidents involving the Russians, French
and Americans, Korea was opened to foreign trade by the Ganghwa Island incident
of the Treaty of Ganghwa
in 1876. Qing dynasty lost its exclusive influence over the Joseon dynasty. Foreign legations were set up at Seoul, and Western ideas and customs were introduced into Korea.
Choe Si-hyeong's statement reaffirms the Tonghak belief in Confucianism, as well as their loyalty to the king. King Kojong failed to respond to the petition.
Progressive-minded yangbans, scholars and nationalists also joined the movement. On January 11, 1894, the rebels, led by Jeon Bong-jun
(전봉준, 全琫準, 1854–1895), defeated the government forces at the battle of Go-bu
and distributed Jo's properties to the peasants.
The revolution expanded quickly until March 13, 1894. Its army was eventually crushed by government troops led by Yi Yong-tae, who killed and captured peasant guerrillas, burned villages and confiscated the peasants' properties in Go-bu.
The peasant army regrouped and started a new rebellion, as news of the government's actions in Go-bu helped increased support among the peasants. The central figures were Jeon Bong-jun
, Kim Gae-nam and Son Hwa-jung.
With new impetus, the peasant army defeated one government garrison after another and closed in on Seoul. The peasants' objectives were institutional land reform, social reform, the overthrow of Joseon Dynasty
(or at least the removal of corrupt officials) and the expulsion of foreign influence from Korea.
The peasants' marching orders were the following:
At the beginning of May, the peasant army occupied a palace in Jeonju
.
The Joseon government asked the Qing government for assistance in ending the revolt. The Qing dynasty sent troops into Korea, after notifying the Japanese in accordance with the Convention of Tientsin
. Qing initially did not wish to go to war with Japan, but Japan viewed the Qing's action as a threat to its national security and sent its own troops to Korea.
With the presence of some 3,000 Qing troops, the government authorities proposed a negotiated truce with the rebels. With the end of the rebellion would come increasing tensions between Qing and Japan as neither wanted to evacuate Korea earlier than the other. The resulting tensions would lead to the First Sino-Japanese War
.
In late June 1894 the pro-Japanese forces hatched a plan to wipe out the peasant army in co-operation with the Japanese troops stationed in Incheon
and Seoul
. On October 16 the peasant army moved toward Gongju
for the final battle, which was a trap. The Japanese and the pro-Japanese government troops were in fact waiting for them inside.
The Donghak Army was defeated in the Battle of Ugeumchi
. The Japanese had cannon and other modern weapons, whereas the Korean peasants were armed only with bows and arrows, spears, swords and some flintlock muskets.
The vigorous battle started on October 22, 1894, and lasted until November 10, 1894. The poorly-armed peasants stormed the well-entrenched Japanese, but they were beaten back and suffered heavy losses. The remnants fled to various bases. The Japanese pursued the army and eventually wiped it out. Jeon Bong-jun, the Donghak commander, was captured in March 1895. The execution of Choe Si-hyeong followed in 1898.
. The Korean Empire
was established in 1897 as a result of the First Sino-Japanese War
. Foreign influence would still be a major aspect, with Japan and Russia later competing over exclusive rights in Korea.
In the coming years Korea would fall increasingly under Japanese exclusive influence, and after the Russo-Japanese War
, Russian influence would no longer be a factor in Korea. The Korean Empire
would be established in 1897, Korean empire
would in effect (de-facto) become a Japanese autonomous protectorate and would later be annexed by Japan in 1910. It was due to this revolution that armies of both Qing and Japan arrived in Korea. the Japanese never left until 1945. It is likely that without this rebellion, Japan would not have had a raison d'etre to enter Korea militarily. As such, some see this rebellion as the first step to the loss of naitonal independence by Joseon.
Although the revolution failed, it made a significant contribution to Korean modernization that resulted from the peasants' demands for democracy, the expulsion of foreign influence and an end to feudalism. The ideas of the movement lived on in the Cheondogyo religious movement.
, one of the most prominent nationalist leaders, was a Donghak military leader. He was born in 1876, the year the Treaty of Ganghwa
was signed. He studied the Chinese classics at a seodang
(a traditional village primary school). At 17 he applied for the Imperial examination
of Joseon
but failed. When the Donghak Peasant Revolution broke out in 1894 he commanded a Donghak army regiment, but was eventually defeated and went into hiding.
In 1896 Kim Gu murdered, robbed and abandoned a Japanese merchant named Tsuchida, who he thought was connected to the murder of the last Joseon Dynasty
Queen Min (this suspicion has not since been confirmed or discredited). Kim was arrested and sentenced to death by Korean court, but escaped and hid out as a Buddhist monk at Magoksa
in Gongju
near Pyeongyang.
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
and anti-foreign uprising in 1894 in the southern Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
which was the catalyst for the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
.
The uprising started in Gobu during February 1894, with the peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
protesting against the political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
of local government officials. The revolution was named after Donghak
Donghak
Donghak is a Korean religion founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. Donghak venerated the god Haneullim and believed that man is not created by a supernatural god but man is instead caused by an innate god...
, a Korean religion
Religion in Korea
Religion in Korea encompasses a number of different traditions. Traditional Buddhism, Mugyo with a background of Korean Confucianism and later Christianity all play a role in Korea's religious tradition...
stressing "the equality
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
of all human beings". The government of Joseon Korea forces failed in their attempt to suppress the revolt, with initial skirmishes giving way to major conflicts. Korean court asked Qing China for military assistance to "quell the domestic unrest." When Japanese officials discovered three thousand Chinese troops had disembarked near Seoul in June, Japan's policy makers met to decide how to respond to Qing's violation of the Convention of Tientsin
Convention of Tientsin
The was an agreement signed between the Meiji period Empire of Japan and Qing Dynasty Empire of China in Tientsin, China on 18 April 1885. It was also called the "Li-Itō Convention"....
by "dispatching forces without informing Tokyo."
Origins
Even before foreign intervention and the opening of Korea to the world, the peasants of the Korean PeninsulaKorean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
had become disillusioned with the rule of the upper yangban classes. During the 19th century, drought and floods alternately struck the rice fields and farms of Korea and caused great famines. Making matters worse, the Joseon rulers increased taxes on farm crops and imposed more unpaid labor on the starving peasants. Anti-government and anti-landlord sentiment boiled over into violent uprisings.
In 1812 Hong Gyeong-nae
Hong Gyeong-nae
Hong Gyeong-nae was a rebel leader in Pyeongan Province, Korea, during the early 19th century. He was born in Yonggang, in South Pyeongan province, to a family of the Namyang Hong lineage....
led the peasants of Gasan in the northern part of Korea into an armed rebellion and occupied the region for several months. An army was sent to quell the rebellion and the revolt was only put down after a savage scorched-earth campaign. All over Korea, all the way to Jeju Island, peasants continued to defy the king in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, the local nobility and wealthy landlords.
In 1862 half a century after the peasant rebellion led by Hong Gyeong-nae was put down, a group of farmers in Jinju
Jinju
Jinju is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first and second Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War...
, Gyeongsang
Gyeongsang
Gyeongsang was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea....
, province rose up against their oppressive provincial officials and the wealthy landowners. This uprising was the result of the exploitation of destitute farmers by the local ruler.
The rebels killed local government officials and set fire to government buildings. In order to appease the rebels, the government hastily revised the land, military and grain lending systems. It was an ineffectual attempt at reform, as many yangban in the central government were themselves deeply involved in such corruption.
The revolt in Jinju triggered peasant uprisings elsewhere all over Korea; groups of farmers rose up with arms and attacked government offices in principal towns. Many government officials were executed.
The uprisings were generally crushed by government troops. In 1862 the peasants of San-nam and surrounding villages took up arms against the elite, but were brutally butchered by troops. In subsequent years, peasants rose up in small groups all across Korea until 1892.
The birth of the Donghak movement
Choe Je-uChoe Je-u
Choe Je-u was the founder of Donghak, a Korean religious movement against foreign invasions and critical of Joseon Dynasty government policies of the time. He was from Gyeongju and his pen name was 'Suun'. He was martyred March 10, 1864 by order of the Daewongun.-External links:*...
(최제우, 崔濟愚, 1824–1864) established the ideology of Donghak
Donghak
Donghak is a Korean religion founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. Donghak venerated the god Haneullim and believed that man is not created by a supernatural god but man is instead caused by an innate god...
(Eastern Learning) in April 1860 with the intention of helping farmers suffering from poverty, unrest and of restoring political and social stability.
The Donghak ideology was a mixture of elements from Korean Confucianism
Korean Confucianism
Korean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural influence from China...
, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Songyo (teachings of Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
's Hwarang
Hwarang
The Hwarang, or "Flower Boys"., were an elite group of male youth in Silla, an ancient Korean kingdom that lasted until the 10th century. There were educational institutions as well as social clubs where members gathered for all aspects of study, originally for arts and culture steeped mainly in...
), modern humanistic, class-struggle ideas that today may be considered Marxist. It resembled a religion as well as a political ideology. A rhetoric of exclusionism (from foreign influences) and an early form of nationalism were also incorporated.
Donghak themes were set to music so that illiterate farmers could understand and accept them more readily, and systematized as a message of salvation to farmers in distress. His ideas rapidly gained acceptance among the peasantry.
Choe, as well as many Koreans, was also alarmed by the intrusion of Christianity and the Anglo-French occupation of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
during the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
. He believed that the best way to counter foreign influence in Korea was to introduce democratic and human rights reforms internally.
Nationalism and social reform struck a chord among the peasant guerrillas, and Donghak spread all across Korea. Progressive revolutionaries organized the peasants into a cohesive structure.
Foreign Intervention
JoseonJoseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
dynasty had been an autonomous tributary state
Tributary state
The term tributary state refers to one of the two main ways in which a pre-modern state might be subordinate to a more powerful neighbour. The heart of the relationship was that the tributary would send a regular token of submission to the superior power...
of Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
dynasty since the 1637 Second Manchu invasion of Korea
Second Manchu invasion of Korea
The second Manchu invasion of Korea occurred in 1636, when the Manchu Qing Empire brought Korea's Joseon dynasty into submission. It followed the first Manchu invasion of Korea of 1627.-Background:...
. Apart from this, Korea was isolationist and wary of foreign influence. After several incidents involving the Russians, French
French Campaign against Korea, 1866
The French campaign against Korea of 1866 is also known as Byeong-in yangyo . It refers to the French invasion of Ganghwa Island in Korea in retaliation for the earlier execution by Korea's Joseon Dynasty of French Catholic priests proselytizing in that country...
and Americans, Korea was opened to foreign trade by the Ganghwa Island incident
Ganghwa Island incident
The Ganghwa Island incident or the Japanese Battle of Ganghwa , was an armed encounter between the Joseon Dynasty and Japan which occurred in the vicinity of Ganghwa Island on September 20, 1875.-Background:...
of the Treaty of Ganghwa
Treaty of Ganghwa
The Japan-Korea Treaty of Amity, also known as the Treaty of Ganghwa or Treaty of Kanghwa, was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Joseon in 1876...
in 1876. Qing dynasty lost its exclusive influence over the Joseon dynasty. Foreign legations were set up at Seoul, and Western ideas and customs were introduced into Korea.
Donghak Revolution of 1894
In 1892 the small groups of the Donghak movement were united into a single Peasant Guerrilla Army (Donghak Peasant Army) who armed themselves; they raided government offices and killed rich landlords, traders and foreigners. They confiscated their victims' properties and distributed them to the poor. They organized themselves in a mass protest in Cholla province in December 1892 to protest abuses from local officials. The leader Choe Si-hyeong petitioned King Kojong in which he stated:
We the ordinary subjects of His Majesty's benevolent reign, after having read the Confucian writings, living on His Majesty's soil, are determined to follow this new doctrine only because we want people to reform themselves, to be loyal to their king, to show filial piety to their parents, to respect their teachers, and to show friendship to their fellow men.
Choe Si-hyeong's statement reaffirms the Tonghak belief in Confucianism, as well as their loyalty to the king. King Kojong failed to respond to the petition.
The First Revolution
The Donghak Peasant Revolution, or the 1894 Peasant War (Nongmin Jeonjaeng), witnessed poor farmers in large numbers rise up against the landlords and the ruling elite. The peasants demanded land redistribution, tax reduction, democracy and human rights. Taxes were so high that most farmers were forced to sell their ancestral homesteads to rich landowners at bargain prices. Landlords sold rice to the Japanese and sent their children to Japan to study. As a result, the peasant class developed intense anti-Japanese and anti-yangban sentiments. The rebellion's immediate cause was the conduct of Jo Byong-gap (1844–1911), a government official whose rule was viewed by some as tyrannical and corrupt.Progressive-minded yangbans, scholars and nationalists also joined the movement. On January 11, 1894, the rebels, led by Jeon Bong-jun
Jeon Bong-jun
Jeon Bong-jun was born in Taein, Jeollabuk-do, Korea. He was a prominent leader of the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Due to his short physical stature, he was called "Nokdu Janggun" .- Struggle and revolution :...
(전봉준, 全琫準, 1854–1895), defeated the government forces at the battle of Go-bu
Jeongeup
Jeongeup is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city limits include Naejang-san National Park, a popular destination particularly in autumn due to its foliage...
and distributed Jo's properties to the peasants.
The revolution expanded quickly until March 13, 1894. Its army was eventually crushed by government troops led by Yi Yong-tae, who killed and captured peasant guerrillas, burned villages and confiscated the peasants' properties in Go-bu.
The peasant army regrouped and started a new rebellion, as news of the government's actions in Go-bu helped increased support among the peasants. The central figures were Jeon Bong-jun
Jeon Bong-jun
Jeon Bong-jun was born in Taein, Jeollabuk-do, Korea. He was a prominent leader of the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Due to his short physical stature, he was called "Nokdu Janggun" .- Struggle and revolution :...
, Kim Gae-nam and Son Hwa-jung.
With new impetus, the peasant army defeated one government garrison after another and closed in on Seoul. The peasants' objectives were institutional land reform, social reform, the overthrow of Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
(or at least the removal of corrupt officials) and the expulsion of foreign influence from Korea.
The peasants' marching orders were the following:
- "Do not kill or take the peasants' properties"
- "Protect the peasants' rights"
- "Drive out the Japanese and Western people and purify our sacred land"
- "March to Seoul and purge the government"
At the beginning of May, the peasant army occupied a palace in Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...
.
The Joseon government asked the Qing government for assistance in ending the revolt. The Qing dynasty sent troops into Korea, after notifying the Japanese in accordance with the Convention of Tientsin
Convention of Tientsin
The was an agreement signed between the Meiji period Empire of Japan and Qing Dynasty Empire of China in Tientsin, China on 18 April 1885. It was also called the "Li-Itō Convention"....
. Qing initially did not wish to go to war with Japan, but Japan viewed the Qing's action as a threat to its national security and sent its own troops to Korea.
With the presence of some 3,000 Qing troops, the government authorities proposed a negotiated truce with the rebels. With the end of the rebellion would come increasing tensions between Qing and Japan as neither wanted to evacuate Korea earlier than the other. The resulting tensions would lead to the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
.
The Second Revolution
While hostilities between China and Japan were beginning, a second uprising erupted in the Korean countryside against a new pro-Japanese government established in Seoul.In late June 1894 the pro-Japanese forces hatched a plan to wipe out the peasant army in co-operation with the Japanese troops stationed in Incheon
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
and Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. On October 16 the peasant army moved toward Gongju
Gongju
Gongju , also spelt Kongju, is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It is located at .- History :Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo...
for the final battle, which was a trap. The Japanese and the pro-Japanese government troops were in fact waiting for them inside.
The Donghak Army was defeated in the Battle of Ugeumchi
Battle of Ugeumchi
The Battle of Ugeumchi was a decisive battle during the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Fought between the Donghak Korean peasants and the combined Japanese-Joseon Army, it resulted in the decline of the Donghak Rebellion and the growth of Japanese Imperialism in Korea.- Background :As the Korean...
. The Japanese had cannon and other modern weapons, whereas the Korean peasants were armed only with bows and arrows, spears, swords and some flintlock muskets.
The vigorous battle started on October 22, 1894, and lasted until November 10, 1894. The poorly-armed peasants stormed the well-entrenched Japanese, but they were beaten back and suffered heavy losses. The remnants fled to various bases. The Japanese pursued the army and eventually wiped it out. Jeon Bong-jun, the Donghak commander, was captured in March 1895. The execution of Choe Si-hyeong followed in 1898.
Aftermath
The rebellion failed, but many grievances of the peasants would later be addressed through the Gabo ReformGabo Reform
The Gabo Reform describes a series of sweeping reforms introduced in Joseon Dynasty Korea beginning in 1894 and ending in 1896, during the reign of King Gojong, in response to the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Historians debate the degree of Japanese influence in this program, as well as its effect...
. The Korean Empire
Korean Empire
The Greater Korean Empire was an empire of Korea that succeeded the Joseon Dynasty.In October 1897, Emperor Gojong proclaimed the new entity at Gyeongungung Palace and oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, land system, education system, and various industries...
was established in 1897 as a result of the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. Foreign influence would still be a major aspect, with Japan and Russia later competing over exclusive rights in Korea.
In the coming years Korea would fall increasingly under Japanese exclusive influence, and after the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, Russian influence would no longer be a factor in Korea. The Korean Empire
Korean Empire
The Greater Korean Empire was an empire of Korea that succeeded the Joseon Dynasty.In October 1897, Emperor Gojong proclaimed the new entity at Gyeongungung Palace and oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, land system, education system, and various industries...
would be established in 1897, Korean empire
Korean Empire
The Greater Korean Empire was an empire of Korea that succeeded the Joseon Dynasty.In October 1897, Emperor Gojong proclaimed the new entity at Gyeongungung Palace and oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, land system, education system, and various industries...
would in effect (de-facto) become a Japanese autonomous protectorate and would later be annexed by Japan in 1910. It was due to this revolution that armies of both Qing and Japan arrived in Korea. the Japanese never left until 1945. It is likely that without this rebellion, Japan would not have had a raison d'etre to enter Korea militarily. As such, some see this rebellion as the first step to the loss of naitonal independence by Joseon.
Although the revolution failed, it made a significant contribution to Korean modernization that resulted from the peasants' demands for democracy, the expulsion of foreign influence and an end to feudalism. The ideas of the movement lived on in the Cheondogyo religious movement.
Kim Gu, a Donghak fighter
Kim GuKim Gu
Kim Gu , the sixth and later the last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was a Korean politician, educator, leader of Korean independence movement against the Japanese occupation of Korea that lasted from 1910 to 1945, and reunification activist who had struggled for...
, one of the most prominent nationalist leaders, was a Donghak military leader. He was born in 1876, the year the Treaty of Ganghwa
Treaty of Ganghwa
The Japan-Korea Treaty of Amity, also known as the Treaty of Ganghwa or Treaty of Kanghwa, was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Joseon in 1876...
was signed. He studied the Chinese classics at a seodang
Seodang
Seodang were private village schools providing elementary education during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea.-Background:They were primarily occupied with providing initial training in the Chinese classics to boys of 7-16 years of age, but often served students into their twenties. Not...
(a traditional village primary school). At 17 he applied for the Imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
of Joseon
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
but failed. When the Donghak Peasant Revolution broke out in 1894 he commanded a Donghak army regiment, but was eventually defeated and went into hiding.
In 1896 Kim Gu murdered, robbed and abandoned a Japanese merchant named Tsuchida, who he thought was connected to the murder of the last Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
Queen Min (this suspicion has not since been confirmed or discredited). Kim was arrested and sentenced to death by Korean court, but escaped and hid out as a Buddhist monk at Magoksa
Magoksa
Magoksa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in Gongju, South Korea. It is located on the eastern slope of Taehwasan, on taegeuk-shaped bend in the Taegeukcheon Stream....
in Gongju
Gongju
Gongju , also spelt Kongju, is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It is located at .- History :Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo...
near Pyeongyang.
Sources and notes
- Tonghak revolution and Chundoismhttp://www.asianresearch.org/articles/1796.html
See also
- DonghakDonghakDonghak is a Korean religion founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. Donghak venerated the god Haneullim and believed that man is not created by a supernatural god but man is instead caused by an innate god...
- Chondogyo
- List of Korea-related topics
- History of KoreaHistory of KoreaThe Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
- Jeon Bong-junJeon Bong-junJeon Bong-jun was born in Taein, Jeollabuk-do, Korea. He was a prominent leader of the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Due to his short physical stature, he was called "Nokdu Janggun" .- Struggle and revolution :...