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Late Joseon Period - Peasant Wars of 1812 and 1862

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Peasant Wars of 1812 and 1862

During this period, drought and flood alternately struck the country, causing a succession of bad harvests, which in turn generated a grim cycle of famine. Excessive tax collection and forced labor ensued. These adverse natural and social conditions ignited a series of agrarian revolts. In 1812, Hong Gyeongrae rose up in revolt with the peasants at Gasan, in the northern part of Korea, and held power in that district for some months. Frightened government officials dispatched the army, and only after waging a hard campaign were they able to suppress the revolt. In the south, all the way to Jejudo island, as well as in the north, peasants persevered in their struggle against oppression at the hands of the government, the local nobility and the wealthy landlords.
Half a century after Hong Gyeongrae's well-organized fight, the situation had not improved. A group of farmers in Jinju, Gyeongsang-do province, rebelled against their oppressive overlords, the provincial officials and the wealthy landowners. This uprising of 1862 is directly attributable to the exploitation of destitute farmers by Baek Naksin, a newly appointed military commander who had jurisdiction over the western half of Gyeongsang-do province.
Yu Gyechun, an intellectual native to the district who was outraged by Baek Naksin's rapacious conduct, led the farmers to riot, denouncing corrupt minor officials and wealthy landlords. The rebels killed local government functionaries, set fire to government buildings, and wrought considerable destruction. The startled Hanyang government hurriedly sent an investigator to the scene. On the basis of its findings of fraudulent practices by the local officials concerned, the government hastily revised the land, military and grain lending systems in an effort to eliminate such abuses. From the outset, however, it was unrealistic to expect the ruling class in the central government, which was itself deeply involved in such frauds, to make radical changes. But at least a superficial attempt at reform was made.
The agrarian revolt in Jinju served as a signal for similar uprisings elsewhere. In Gyeongsang-do, Jeolla-do and Chungcheong-do Province, on faraway Jejudo island and in Hamgyeong-do and Pyeongan-do Province in the north, groups of farmers rose up, attacking offices in principal towns and routing officials.
Under such social conditions, Choe Je-u (1824-1864) formulated the ideology of Donghak (Eastern Learning) in order to rescue the farmers from prevalent poverty and unrest, and to restore political and social stability. His ideas rapidly gained acceptance, and he set his doctrines to music so that farmers would understand and accept them more readily. His teachings were systematized and compiled as a message of salvation to farmers in distress. The songs he sang were a mixture of traditional elements from Confucianism, Buddhism and Seongyo (teachings of Silla's Hwarang), and to these he added modern humanistic ideas. Exclusionism was another characteristic of his religion, which incorporated an early form of nationalism and rejected alien thought.

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Late Joseon Period - Welfare Programs Welfare Programs The ideal of a Confucian welfare state during the Joseon Dynasty was conceived and implemented by King Sejong in the 15th century, but it was Yi Sugwang who elaborated on the philosophy of welfare in the period following the Hideyoshi invasions. He expounded the idea that the Way of Heaven was to be found among the people, and its noblest realization was to feed and clothe the people ... Views 29769
Late Joseon Period - Reform Attempts Reform Attempts In the early 19th century, the Korean economy and social conditions improved. The people in general thought that foreign ideas and European commercial enterprise in particular should be taken seriously. Some officials advocated a thorough reform of national finance. The central government examined the proposal, but its implementation was thwarted by a struggle for power. There were numerous agrarian ... Views 30468
Late Joseon Period - Peasant Wars of 1812 and 1862 Peasant Wars of 1812 and 1862 During this period, drought and flood alternately struck the country, causing a succession of bad harvests, which in turn generated a grim cycle of famine. Excessive tax collection and forced labor ensued. These adverse natural and social conditions ignited a series of agrarian revolts. In 1812, Hong Gyeongrae rose up in revolt with the peasants at Gasan, in the northern part of ... Views 30561
Challenges of Modernization - Response to Capitalist Encroachment Response to Capitalist Encroachment During the late 19th century, insistent demands for commercial relations with Joseon were made by the British, the Russians and other Europeans. The Prussian merchant Ernest J. Oppert in 1866 twice knocked on Korea's door and requested trade, but was refused. In the same year the American ship General Sherman made its memorable sortie into Korean waters with the objective of ... Views 30897
Challenges of Modernization - Arguments for Repulsion / Reformists Arguments for Repulsion Korea's learned Confucianists, on the basis of information obtained through Qing China, regarded the infiltration of European capitalist power as a potentially disruptive intrusion. They wanted to strengthen their alignment with Neo-Confucian ethics, and grew intolerant of new creeds. The closing of many local schools by the Daewongun in 1864 increased apathy. Deprived of their spiritua... Views 29893
Challenges of Modernization - Opposition to Japan Opposition to Japan The Japanese minister to Korea, Hanabusa Yoshimoto, forced the Korean government to introduce the Japanese army training system, and a separate training command was established for this purpose. Implementation of army reorganization and training was of itself an effective springboard for aggression. Japan monopolized the Korean market in 1876. Two years later, Japan's Daiichi Bank established a branch ... Views 30136
Challenges of Modernization - Political Upheaval of 1884 Political Upheaval of 1884 The conclusion of a series of commercial treaties between Joseon and foreign countries intensified the encroachment of capitalist powers. A group of reformists denounced the leading politicians for their reliance on foreign influence and tried to introduce reforms that would improve social conditions, enrich the people and strengthen national power. The main concern of Kim Okgyun... Views 30067
Challenges of Modernization - Donghak Struggle of 1894 Donghak Struggle of 1894 Donghak, or Eastern Learning, was based on the doctrine of the salvation of farmers from their destitute lives. Although its preaching had a religious aspect, the main concern was to realize national stability and security. Seeing that his teaching was gaining in popularity, the government executed Choe Je-u in 1864 on charges of treason. His movement lived on, however, and poverty-stricken... Views 30376
Challenges of Modernization - Reform Attempts Reform Attempts The unsuccessful 1884 coup d'etat brought frustration to the reform efforts, but the need for reform still was keenly felt by the populace and some leaders of the government as well. The disintegration of the traditional social order was accelerated by the peasant struggle. Such developments led Korea to implement institutional reform. The conservative government had been compelled to accept the ad... Views 30234
Challenges of Modernization - Intensified Japanese Aggression Intensified Japanese Aggression Japanese aggression in Korea was "a matter of life or death," as was earlier expressed by Hayashi Tadashi, an one-time Japanese minister to London. As Japanese aggression intensified, the Min clique collaborated with Russian Minister Karl Waeber to force Kim Hongjip to reorganize his cabinet, and pro-Russian figures such as Yi Beomjin were given cabinet posts. The government, reorganizing ... Views 30168

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