Jeon Bong-jun's Honors [Eureka]

The Hankyoreh's editorial board, through columnist Gil Yun-hyeong, raises a critical question about South Korea's historical memory and national recognition of the Donghak Peasant Revolution leader, Jeon Bong-jun. The article points out the stark contrast between the historical image of Jeon Bong-jun, depicted as a determined leader even in captivity, and his current legal status as merely a participant in the Donghak Peasant Revolution.

The core of the argument lies in the repeated denial by the National Veterans Affairs Office to recognize Jeon Bong-jun and other Donghak participants as independence activists, despite the 2004 special law. The article highlights the irony that while the law acknowledges Donghak's aim to reform feudalism and protect national sovereignty, it refrains from a more definitive evaluation. This bureaucratic inertia is seen as perpetuating a historical injustice.

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Because your country brought troops into our capital and attacked the royal palace in the middle of the night, causing the king to be startled, I gathered righteous troops out of loyalty to the king and country.

Furthermore, the piece draws a sharp distinction between the treatment of the Donghak movement and the Eulmi Uprising. While 145 participants of the Eulmi Uprising, which occurred a year after Donghak, were recognized as independence activists, the peasant-led Donghak movement continues to face what the author terms "national discrimination." This is framed as a persistent bias, even after more than a century, favoring the yangban-led Eulmi Uprising over the movement of the 'ignorant masses' of Donghak.

From a South Korean perspective, this is not merely an academic debate but a matter of national identity and historical truth. The article implicitly argues that failing to properly recognize Jeon Bong-jun and the Donghak movement distorts the narrative of Korean resistance against foreign powers and internal oppression. The upcoming commemoration of the Donghak Revolution prompts a call to action, urging a re-evaluation and rectification of this historical oversight before it is too late, ensuring that the sacrifices of all who fought for Korea's future are appropriately honored.

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Bong-jun planned to raise an army again with the purpose of repelling the Japanese army, hearing that the Japanese army had invaded the palace.