North Jeolla mulls stipends to Donghak revolt descendants amid questions over finances, history

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North Jeolla mulls stipends to Donghak revolt descendants amid questions over finances, history

Published: 21 Jul. 2025, 14:19

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Yu In-chon, then-minister of culture, sports and tourism, stands next to a statue of Jeon Bong-jun, the leader of the 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution in Jeongeup, North Jeolla, on May 11, 2024. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

North Jeolla announced in June that it is considering paying stipends to the descendants of participants in the 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution, starting next year. The province is reviewing whether to offer 100,000 won ($73) per month or between 300,000 and 500,000 won annually.

The initiative follows amendments to a provincial ordinance made last September that support commemorative projects for the Donghak Peasant Revolution. The Donghak Peasant Revolution was a revolt mainly led by peasants and followers of the Donghak religion across Joseon (1392-1910) against local authorities and the Japanese military.

“This project reflects the unique historical significance of North Jeolla as the birthplace of Donghak and the revolution’s foundational role in Korea’s democratization,” said a provincial official. “It’s a policy to restore the honor of those who were once branded traitors, offering modest financial compensation.”

North Jeolla would become the first regional government in the country to offer stipends to such descendants, and the move has stirred mixed reactions. Supporters see it as a gesture of respect and a means to stabilize livelihoods. Critics, however, denounce it as wasteful populism.

A 1 billion won project

The stipend would apply to direct descendants — children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — of participants in the revolution who currently reside in North Jeolla.

As of June, 915 individuals fall under this category, including 302 in Jeonju, 148 in Jeongeup, 107 in Imsil County, 101 in Iksan and smaller numbers across 10 other cities and counties. Based on a monthly payment of 100,000 won, the annual budget required would amount to approximately 1.1 billion won.

1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution [JOONGANG ILBO]

Jeongeup began offering stipends to the great-grandchildren of revolution participants in 2020, the first among municipal governments. Currently, 90 individuals receive the benefit.

However, the city has faced criticism, with detractors questioning why such expenditures are justified amid strained finances and raising concerns over whether similar benefits should be extended to descendants of other historical resistance fighters.

Eligibility and funding remain contentious

The province plans to split the cost with local governments in a 30-70 split, but hurdles remain. While most of the province’s 14 cities and counties agree with the program in principle, several municipalities with fewer eligible descendants or weaker historical ties to the revolution have voiced opposition.

There are also disagreements over whether the stipend should go to all descendants or be limited to one representative per family, as well as disputes over how to share costs.

North Jeolla plans to convene a meeting with officials from all 14 jurisdictions next month to finalize eligibility criteria and cost-sharing details, after which it aims to enact relevant implementation rules later this year.

Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Joon-byeong holds a press conference on Aug. 6, 2024, at the National Assembly, demanding the government to change its definition of Japanese imperial rule period.[YOON JOON-BYEONG]

'Redefining Japanese colonial rule'

Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Joon-byeong, whose district includes Jeongeup and Gochang — key sites of the Donghak movement — proposed a bill last July to amend the Act on the Honorable Treatment of Independence Activists.

The bill seeks to redefine July 23, 1894 — when Japanese forces seized Gyeongbok Palace — as the official start of Korea’s anti-Japanese independence movement. Under current law, only those who resisted Japanese occupation between "the seizure of national rights by Japanese imperialism" and Aug. 14, 1945, are eligible for designation as independence patriots.

The date when Japanese imperial rule began has not been specified in the law. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has been using the 1895 assassination of Empress Myeongseong as its internal standard for independence activists.

Yoon and others argue that Japanese troops de facto usurped royal authority by occupying Gyeongbok Palace and detaining King Gojong in 1894. Yet, while participants in the 1894 Donghak uprising and the first wave of righteous armies are excluded from official recognition, those in the 1895 uprising are honored — a discrepancy critics say stems from a flawed and biased vetting process.

Separately, Jeongeup and Gochang each spend around 2 billion won annually on commemoration projects and restoration of historical sites tied to the revolution.

A photo from the 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution [JOONGANG ILBO]

Critics challenge historical framing

Not all historians support the initiative.

“If the Donghak Peasant Movement is to be sanctified, then even former President Park Geun-hye — whose grandfather Park Seong-bin led the Donghak chapter in Seongju, North Gyeongsang — would be eligible for compensation, while the family of [independence fighter] Ahn Jung-geun, who helped suppress the Donghak uprising, would be labeled traitors," Kahng Gyoo-hyoung, a history professor at Myongji University, told the JoongAng Ilbo.

“The Donghak uprising was not a modern democratic movement, but a royalist-nationalist effort aimed at removing the powerful Min clan, to which Empress Myeongseong belonged, and restoring Heungseon Daewongun to power. Jeon Bong-jun was a guest of Daewongun, who later conspired with Japan to assassinate the empress.”

He further argued that many Donghak followers later joined Iljinhoe, a pro-Japanese group that supported Korea’s annexation by Japan.

“Using any pretext to hand out public funds is dangerous populism and a breach of fiscal discipline,” Kahng said. “North Jeolla may be providing the stipends, but since much of its budget comes from central government taxes, it effectively diverts national tax revenue.”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Committee on Restoring Honor to Participants of the Donghak Peasant Revolution (translated) defines the movement — which unfolded for a year starting in 1894 — as a popular uprising aimed at eradicating corruption and resisting foreign intervention. While the revolution ultimately failed, it is widely regarded as a precursor to later movements, such as the March 1 Independence Movement, the April 19 Revolution and the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JUN-HEE [[email protected]]