Painting by Tak Hee-sung, courtesy of Seosomun Shrine History Museum
"In what is called serving Heaven, they are the same; however, this side is orthodox, while that side is heterodox. Therefore, I reject it."
Ahn Jeong-bok’s Critique of Catholicism, courtesy of the National Institute of Korean History
Catholicism, called Seohak (western studies), offered a radical moral equality, but remained foreign and uncomfortable for many. Donghak (eastern studies), developed by Choe Je-u, selectively appropriated Catholicism’s egalitarian core to adjust it for Joseon.
Portrait of Choe Je-u, courtesy of the National Museum of Korea
Round-Seal Petition (Sabaltongmun 沙鉢通文), courtesy of the National Institute of Korean History
"To the village jipgang of each locality.
Thus, the proclamation was swiftly circulated in all directions.
To capture the Gobo fortress and behead Magistrate Jo Byeong-gap, displaying his head publicly.
To seize the military armory and the gunpowder depot.
To punish corrupt officials who flattered the magistrate and oppressed the people.
To take the Jeonju Provincial Office and advance directly toward Hanyang."
Excerpt from the Round-Seal Petition, courtesy of the National Institute of Korean History
Choe’s formulation, “Man is Heaven”, made the same moral claim as Catholic equality stripped of Christian theology and foreign alliance. This domestication made universality legible and enabled a mass uprising.
“Since antiquity, the alternation of spring and autumn and the flourishing and decline of the four seasons have never ceased nor been altered. This is the manifest trace of Heaven and cosmic order revealed throughout the world.”
Excerpt from the Donggyeong Daejeon, courtesy of Oh My News
“Our Way is broad yet simple.
There is no need for many words.
There is no other principle:
only sincerity, reverence, and trust.”
Excerpt from the Donggyeong Daejeon, courtesy of Oh My News
The 1894 Donghak uprising mobilized peasants to demand abolition of hereditary status and yangban (noble) privilege using this language. The movement forced the Confucian order to suppress what sounded like Korea’s own cosmological truth. While foreign intervention ultimately led to the failure of this revolution, it couldn’t restore the hierarchy’s legitimacy.
Donggyeong Daejeon and Yongdam Yusa, courtesy of the Donghak Peasant Revolution Memorial Hall
Donghak Peasant Movement, courtesy of The Independence Hall of Korea
"The king’s enlightened wisdom remains above, yet the people have fallen into misery. Who, then, is the true source of the people’s suffering? It is the corrupt officials who form the root of these long-standing abuses. … At this moment, when we act for the sake of the people and the state, how can there be any distinction between officials and the people?”
"We raise our name and move freely in all directions not because our helm is firm or our authority secure, but because we make clear to the people our intent to act for their sake."
Quotes from Jeon Bong-jun, courtesy of Uri History Net
The Yi Subang Jeopju Appointment Document, courtesy of the Donghak–Cheondogyo Archive
Appointment Certificate of Principal Jeong Sun-gyeong
Heungseon Daewongun’s Proclamation to Enlighten the People (Hyoyu-mun), courtesy of the Donghak Peasant Revolution Memorial Hall
"You are all loyal subjects raised under our royal house. Because we failed to care for you, you have fallen into hardship. How, then, could we raise troops and turn our weapons against one another?"
"If you return, come to your senses, lay down your arms, and go back, not a single crime will be held against you."
Excerpt from Heungseon Daewongun’s Proclamation to Enlighten the People (Hyoyu-mun), courtesy of the K-Heritage Channel
The Gabo Reforms legally abolishing slavery and the civil service exam, codified what Donghak’s translation had already achieved. The class system ended because Korean ideas, selectively inspired by Catholicism, had made Confucian hierarchy morally indefensible.
The Gyeongjang and Jangjeong Persecutions, courtesy of the Academy of Korean Studies
" 4. Strongholds of Confucian scholars and yangban elites shall be suppressed and eliminated
5. Military registers identifying those of base status shall be burned
6. All slave ownership documents shall be burned."
Excerpt from the Twelve Reform Demands to Abolish Abuses, courtesy of the National Institute of Korean History
The Defense Security Command, courtesy of the Academy of Korean Studies
Change in attire
Attire of local clerks (ajeon) before the Gabo Reform, courtesy of the Dong-A Ilbo
Attire of police officers (sunsa) before the Gabo Reform, courtesy of the Dong-A Ilbo
Military uniform after the Gabo Reform, courtesy of the Dong-A Ilbo
Postman’s uniform after the Gabo Reform, courtesy of the Ministry of Communications
Sihyeon Lee, Gaeun Lee, Sejin Oh
事人如天— "Serve People as Heaven": The Silent Revolution of Joseon
Senior Division
Group Website
Student composed words: 1200
Media length: 2min 28sec
Process paper length: 500