Jeon Bong-jun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1855-12-03)December 3, 1855[1] |
| Died | (1895-04-24)April 24, 1895 Seoul, Joseon |
| Other names | Jeon Yeong-jun "General Mung Bean" |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Song of the Yeosan Clan Lady Yi of the Nampyeong Clan |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
|
| Jeon Bong-jun | |
| Hangul | 전봉준 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 全琫準 |
| RR | Jeon Bongjun |
| MR | Chŏn Pongjun |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 해몽 |
| Hanja | 海夢 |
| RR | Haemong |
| MR | Haemong |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 명숙 |
| Hanja | 明淑 |
| RR | Myeongsuk |
| MR | Myŏngsuk |
Jeon Bong-jun[a] (Korean: 전봉준; December 3, 1855 – April 24, 1895) was a Korean peasant revolutionary who was a prominent leader of theDonghak movement. During theDonghak Peasant Revolution, he led theinitial revolt in Gobu and later led the Southern Jeob rebels. After his defeat at theBattle of Ugeumchi, he was captured and was later executed in April 1895. Due to his short physical stature, he was called "Nokdu Janggun" (녹두장군, Generalmung bean).
Jeon Bong-jun was born on December 3, 1855[b], inJeolla Province (nowNorth Jeolla Province), as a member of theCheonan Jeon clan [ko]. Previously, Korean historians have suggested various places, includingWanju,Jeongeup, andGochang as his specific place of birth.[4] However, following the discovery of compelling evidence from agenealogy book of the Cheonan Jeon clan,[1] many historians now agree that his exact place of birth wasDangchon village,Jukrim-ri [ko],Gochang-eup [ko], Gochang.[4][5]
Jeon Bong-jun's father, Jeon Chang-hyuk (전창혁;全彰爀), was aneo-Confucianist scholar who was a member of theHyanggyo ofGobu.[6] Jeon learnedclassical Chinese from his father, and occasionally wrote poetry.[7] In 1940, writer Oh Ji-young, who had been an acquaintance of Jeon's,[8] published a book containing a poem titledBaekgusi (백구시;白鷗詩), which he claimed was written by Jeon when he was a child. However, this claim has been discredited by the historical community.[9]
During his earlyadolescence, Jeon left Dangchon village with his father and migrated throughout multiple regions in Jeolla, probably in search of better livelihoods. During his late teenage years, Jeon migrated to a village in Donggok-ri, Taein[c], which was likely where he first metKim Gae-nam.[4][8] According to other local tales of his youth, Jeon lived in a village in Wonpyeong, Geumgu[d] during his late adolescence years.[8]
According to the aforementioned genealogy book, Jeon's first spouse was Lady Song of the Yeosan Clan, the daughter ofSong Du-ok (송두옥;宋斗玉). When Song died in 1877, he remarried Lady Yi of the Nampyeong Clan, daughter of Yi Mun-ki (이문기;李文琦). He had two daughters with Lady Song and two sons with Lady Yi.[1] Recent studies on Jeon Bong-jun's family lineage have also suggested that Jeon may have been the brother-in-law of renownedSeon Buddhist monkGyeongheo, whose father's name was also Song Du-ok. According to historian Hong Hyeon-ji, a letter, written and sent by Gyeongheo himself to Jeon Chang-hyuk, was discovered. The letter discussed matters over the marriage between his sister and Jeon.[10]
Jeon made a living as a medicine seller, farmer, and village teacher.[6] During an 1895 interrogation, Jeon recounted that he and his family had lived in poverty before his involvement in the revolt, and were barely able to "have rice as breakfast, and porridge as dinner."[11]
Around the late 19th century,Joseon Korea was plagued withvarious social problems, including poverty, excessive taxation, and corruption. Outside of its borders, foreign powers, such asJapan,France,Germany, Russia, Qing China, and theUnited States all sought to expand their influence over Korea, often throughunequal treaties andgunboat diplomacy. Joseon politics were split between pro-Russian, pro-Japanese, and pro-Qing factions, with little effort made to alleviate the burdens of the peasantry.[8] These issues brought discontent and protest among peasants, and ideas of political and social reform among scholars. At some point around his late 20s to early 30s, Jeon acquired a copy ofChŏng Yagyong'sGyeongse Yupyo [ko], which had previously been retained byseonbis fromHaenam andGangjin. Jeon became heavily influenced by Jeong's ideas. He exchanged ideas of reform with other thinkers, includingSon Hwa-jung [ko],Choi Gyeong-seon [ko], andKim Gae-nam.[8]
In 1890, Jeon visitedUnhyeongung palace to seeregent Heungseon, who had been residing there since his return to the palace in August 1885.[12] There, Jeon was appointed by Heungseon as hisretainer. Jeon exchanged ideas of national reform with him during his career.[13] In 1892, Jeon concluded his career as a retainer and returned to Gobu.[14]
TheDonghak movement, which was first created byChoe Je-u in 1860, had spread to the Jeolla region by the 1880s, gaining widespread support from the indignant peasantry through its ideas of universal equality and human welfare. Jeon Bong-jun joined Donghak between 1888 and 1891, presumably after moving to Gobu from Taein.[15] Jeon interpreted the Donghak movement as a movement that promoted both personal spirituality and discipline (수심경천;守心敬天) along with social reform (보국안민;輔國安民).[16] According to the March 6, 1895 issue of theTokyo Asahi Shimbun, Jeon claimed in an interrogation that he was introduced to the Donghak movement by Kim Chi-do (김치도;金致道) in 1892. He detailed that he participated in the movement as he was moved by its principles and wished to "achieve the goals" of "driving out corrupt officials" and "protecting the nation and bringing comfort to the people", rather than due to religious motives.[17]
Jeon became a prominent figure of the movement through his active engagement during theGyojo Shinwon movement. Among the three main goals of the movement, he is said to have participated most enthusiastically in theexpulsion of Japanese and Western influence.[16] Jeon participated in several mass protests and pleas against the Joseon government's suppression of Donghak. He took a leading role during the 1892 protests atSamrye [ko] and later gathered Donghak members in Wonpyeong in preparation for the February 1893 mass appeals atGyeongbokgung and the subsequent March 1893 protests inBoeun.[18] He was soon promoted as the regional leader of the movement of Gobu byChoe Si-hyeong.[6]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(May 2024) |
In December 1893, a group of Gobu peasants, who were enraged by theharsh policies enacted by Gobu magistrateJo Byeong-Gap [ko], pleaded the lifting of heavy taxes and the return of extorted property. Jeon acted as the head of the protesters, with his name cited on the head of the written complaint. This plea was rejected, and Jeon and the peasants were forcefully dismissed from the localGwan-a.[4] In response, Jeon gathered a group of 20 revolutionaries who pledged to gather forces and initiate a general revolt, with their names signed on theSabal Tongmun [ko] code. On January 10, 1894, a total of 1000 peasantsrevolted and attacked theGwan-a under Jeon Bong-jun's leadership.
The revolt was successful. The local rice storage was destroyed, and most of the illegally taxed rice was retrieved. Jo Byeon-gap fled to nearbyJeonju. The Joseon government appointedhyeongam[e] ofyong-an Pak Won-myeong (박원명;朴源明) as the new magistrate of Gobu, and ordered the investigation and management of the incident. Most of the rebels returned to their households following the successful revolt. However, Jeon took hold of his forces and relocated them toBaeksan Mountain [ko].[4]
On April 28, 1894, Jeon Bong Jun's revolution became anti-Western and anti-Japanese because of the oppressive and brutal actions of the Japanese army in punishing the Korean farmers. This revolution spread from town to county as the peasant army vowed to eradicate the entirety of the Korean ruling class and expel all Japanese and western parties. By September his peasant revolt came to a violent end as his army of farmers were decisively defeated by a well trained, better equipped Japanese military in theBattle of Ugeumchi. Jeon Bong-jun was arrested by the governor ofJeolla province,Yi Do-jae,[19] and was executed by hanging on 24 April 1895.
Lew, Young Ick. "The Conservative Character of the 1894 Tonghak Peasant Uprising: A Reappraisal with Emphasis on Chŏn Pong-jun's Background and Motivation."Journal of Korean Studies 7, no. 1 (1990): 149-80.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
