Tonghak Peasant Revolution

The 1894 Korean uprising against government corruption and foreign influence, led by Donghak adherents and joined by other rebels. Its suppression helped trigger Japanese intervention and the First Sino-Japanese War.

Gobou Uprising: A 1894 revolt in Gobu County, Jeolla Province, sparked by abuses under magistrate Jo Byeong-gap. The initial revolt against local exploitation expanded into the first campaign.
Donghak: A Korean religious movement founded by Choe Je-u in 1860, combining indigenous traditions with responses to foreign religions. Its adherents supplied much of the uprising’s organization and religious language.
Gabo Reform: A series of political and social reforms enacted in Korea from 1894 to 1896. The uprising and foreign intervention created pressure for reforms, though they did not fulfill all rebel aims.
Imo Incident: A 1882 soldiers’ mutiny in Seoul against unpaid wages and reform policies, followed by foreign intervention. It was an earlier revolt involving grievances and intervention, but not a peasant movement led by Donghak adherents.
Jeon Bong-jun: A Donghak organizer and peasant leader who commanded major forces during the 1894 uprising. He helped lead the uprising’s first campaign and later renewed the fighting.
Choe Je-u: The founder of Donghak, executed by the Joseon government in 1864. His teachings and execution remained sources of identity and grievance for Donghak followers.
Japanese occupation of Korea: Japan’s rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945. The 1894 intervention formed part of the longer expansion of Japanese power in Korea.
Gapsin Coup: A failed 1884 coup by Korean reformers seeking rapid political change with Japanese support. Its elite-led strategy contrasts with the uprising’s mass rural participation.
Jeonju Agreement: A May 1894 settlement between rebel forces and the Joseon government, followed by local reform offices. The agreement ended the first campaign without resolving the rebels’ broader demands.
Jo Byeong-gap: A Joseon magistrate whose abuses in Gobu helped provoke the 1894 revolt. Complaints about his rule helped ignite the uprising’s first phase.

Linked from 12 pages