{{Short description|Korean peasant revolutionary (1853–1895)}} {{family name hatnote|Jeon||lang=Korean}} {{Infobox person | name = Jeon Bong-jun | image = JeonBongJun.jpg | birth_date = {{Birth date|1855|12|03}}<ref name=":0">Kim, Yang-sik(김양식). [https://db.history.go.kr/modern/level.do?levelId=prw_055 동학농민전쟁의 최고 지도자 녹두장군 전봉준, 방손 용호]. National Institute of Korean History. (in Korean). Retrieved April 20, 2024.</ref> | birth_place = Gochang, Jeolla Province, Joseon | death_date = {{Death date and age|1895|04|24|1855|12|03}} | death_place = Seoul, Joseon | father = Jeon Chang-hyuk | mother = Lady Kim of the Eonyang Clan | spouse = Lady Song of the Yeosan Clan<br />Lady Yi of the Nampyeong Clan | children = 4 | other_names = Jeon Yeong-jun<br />"General Mung Bean" }} {{Infobox Korean name/auto |hangul= %전봉준 |hanja =全琫準 |hangulja=%_명숙 |hanjaja=明淑 |hangulho=%_해몽 |hanjaho=海夢 }}
'''Jeon Bong-jun'''{{efn|Also written '''Chon Bong-joon'''}} ({{Korean|hangul=전봉준}}; December 3, 1855 – April 24, 1895) was a Korean peasant revolutionary who was a prominent leader of the Donghak movement. During the Donghak Peasant Revolution, he led the initial revolt in Gobu and later led the Southern Jeob rebels. After his defeat at the Battle of Ugeumchi, he was captured and was later executed in April 1895. Due to his short physical stature, he was called "''Nokdu Janggun''" (녹두장군, General mung bean).
==Early life== Jeon Bong-jun was born on December 3, 1855,{{efn|According to the undermentioned genealogy book, Jeon was born on December 3, 1855, on the Gregorian Calendar. Several other sources cite January 10, 1855 as his date of birth.<ref>Baek, Do-in(백도인). [https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20180110130300055 '전봉준 장군 탄생 161주년' 기념행사, 출생지 고창서 열려]. ''Yonhap News Agency''. (in Korean). January 10, 2018.</ref><ref>Yoon, Jong-ho(윤종호). [http://www.hdgochang.co.kr/default/article_print.htm?part_idx=265&idx=38312 전봉준(全琫準) 장군 탄생 155주년]. 주간해피데이. (in Korean). January 17, 2011.</ref>}} in Jeolla Province (now North Jeolla Province), as a member of the {{ill|Cheonan Jeon clan|ko|천안 전씨}}. Previously, Korean historians have suggested various places, including Wanju, Jeongeup, and Gochang as his specific place of birth.<ref name = ":1">Im, Suk-jeong(임숙정). [http://www.grandculture.net/sunchang/toc/GC05901049 전봉준]. Academy of Korean Studies. (in Korean). Retrieved April 20, 2024 from 디지털순창문화대전.</ref> However, following the discovery of compelling evidence from a genealogy book of the Cheonan Jeon clan,<ref name=":0" /> many historians now agree that his exact place of birth was Dangchon village, {{ill|Jukrim-ri|ko|죽림리}}, {{ill|Gochang-eup|ko|고창읍}}, Gochang.<ref name = ":1" /><ref>Choi, Myeong-guk(최명국). [http://cbs.kr/dzomQy "녹두장군 전봉준 출생지는 정읍이 아니라 고창"]. 노컷뉴스. (in Korean). November 10, 2011.</ref>
Jeon Bong-jun's father, Jeon Chang-hyuk ({{Korean|hangul=전창혁|hanja=全彰爀|labels=no}}), was a neo-Confucianist scholar who was a member of the ''Hyanggyo'' of Gobu.<ref name = ":2" /> Jeon learned classical Chinese from his father, and occasionally wrote poetry.<ref name="뜻은 달랐으나 손 잡은 전봉준과 흥선대원군">Kim, Hyeon-min(김현민). [http://www.atlasnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1712 뜻은 달랐으나 손 잡은 전봉준과 흥선대원군]. ''Atlasnews''. (in Korean). February 18, 2020.</ref> In 1940, writer Oh Ji-young, who had been an acquaintance of Jeon's,{{sfn|Lee|2014}} published a book containing a poem titled ''Baekgusi'' ({{Korean|hangul=백구시|hanja=白鷗詩|labels=no}}), which he claimed was written by Jeon when he was a child. However, this claim has been discredited by the historical community.<ref>Cho, Yun-chan(조윤찬). 1 [https://m.khan.co.kr/opinion/column/article/201403062056425 974년 5월 전봉준장군 유시 발견]. ''Kyunghyang Shinmun''. (in Korean). March 6, 2014.</ref>
During his early adolescence, 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,{{efn|now administratively part of sanwae-''myeon'', Jeongeup, North Jeolla}} which was likely where he first met Kim Gae-nam.<ref name= ":1" />{{sfn|Lee|2014}} According to other local tales of his youth, Jeon lived in a village in Wonpyeong, Geumgu{{efn|now Geumsan-''myeon'', Gimje, North Jeolla}} during his late adolescence years.{{sfn|Lee|2014}}
According to the aforementioned genealogy book, Jeon's first spouse was Lady Song of the Yeosan Clan, the daughter of Song Du-ok ({{Korean|hangul=송두옥|hanja=宋斗玉|labels=no}}). When Song died in 1877, he remarried Lady Yi of the Nampyeong Clan, daughter of Yi Mun-ki ({{Korean|hangul=이문기|hanja=李文琦|labels=no}}). He had two daughters with Lady Song and two sons with Lady Yi.<ref name = ":0" /> Recent studies on Jeon Bong-jun's family lineage have also suggested that Jeon may have been the brother-in-law of renowned Seon Buddhist monk Gyeongheo, 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.<ref>Cho Hyeon(조현). [https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/well/people/1075046.html “경허 선사-전봉준 장군 ‘처남 매제’ 확인하고 전율했죠”]. ''The Hankyoreh''. (in Korean). January 9, 2021. Last updated January 10, 2021.</ref>
Jeon made a living as a medicine seller, farmer, and village teacher.<ref name = ":2">Kim, Chang-soo(김창수). [https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0049437 전봉준 (全琫準)]. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved April 20, 2024.</ref> 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."{{refn|동학 농민 운동에 가담하기 전 전봉준의 가정 형편을 알 수 있는 자료로는 1895년 공초 자료가 있다. 이 자료에 따르면 전봉준은 “전답 3두락을 가지고 있으며 아침에는 밥을, 저녁에는 겨우 죽을 먹을 정도”라고 말하였다.<ref name= ":1" />}}
Jeon's deep resentment toward the ruling class was heavily influenced by his father, Jeon Chang-hyuk. As a low-ranking Neo-Confucian scholar and activist, Chang-hyuk actively protested against the extortionate levies imposed by the local magistrate of Gobu, Jo Byeong-gap<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Ki-baik |title=A new history of Korea |last2=Wagner |first2=Edward Willett |last3=Shultz |first3=Edward J. |last4=I |first4=Gi baeg |date=1984 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-61576-2 |location=Cambridge |page=283}}</ref>. During one of these protest, chang-hyuk was severely beaten by local officials, eventually dying from his wound. <ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Item/E0049448 |website=encyclopedia_korea |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}</ref>This family tragedy, combined with the family's extreme poverty, solidified Jeon's resolve to challenge the highly rigid Joseon social hierarchy and the institutional corruption of local authorities.
==Ideas of reform== Around the late 19th century, Joseon Korea was plagued with various social problems, including poverty, excessive taxation, and corruption. Outside of its borders, foreign powers, such as Japan, France, Germany, Russia, Qing China, and the United States all sought to expand their influence over Korea, often through unequal treaties and gunboat 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.{{sfn|Lee|2014}} 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 of Chŏng Yagyong's ''{{ill|Gyeongse Yupyo|ko|경세유표}}'', which had previously been retained by ''seonbis'' from Haenam and Gangjin. Jeon became heavily influenced by Jeong's ideas. He exchanged ideas of reform with other thinkers, including {{ill|Son Hwa-jung|ko|손화중}}, {{ill|Choi Gyeong-seon|ko|최경선}}, and Kim Gae-nam.{{sfn|Lee|2014}}
===Career as Regent Heungseon's retainer=== In 1890, Jeon visited Unhyeongung palace to see regent Heungseon, who had been residing there since his return to the palace in August 1885.{{sfn|Lee|2004|p=70}} There, Jeon was appointed by Heungseon as his retainer. Jeon exchanged ideas of national reform with him during his career.<ref name=":daum">[https://ko.wikisource.org/wiki/%EA%B8%80%EB%A1%9C%EB%B2%8C_%EC%84%B8%EA%B3%84_%EB%8C%80%EB%B0%B1%EA%B3%BC%EC%82%AC%EC%A0%84/%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%EC%82%AC/%EA%B7%BC%EB%8C%80%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EC%9D%98_%EB%B0%9C%EC%A0%84/%EB%8F%99%ED%95%99%EC%9A%B4%EB%8F%99%EA%B3%BC_%EA%B0%91%EC%98%A4%EA%B2%BD%EC%9E%A5/%EB%8F%99%ED%95%99%ED%98%81%EB%AA%85#%EC%A0%84%EB%B4%89%EC%A4%80 전봉준]. Daum Global World Encyclopedia. (in Korean). 2004.</ref> In 1892, Jeon concluded his career as a retainer and returned to Gobu.<ref name="뜻은 달랐으나 손 잡은 전봉준과 흥선대원군"/>
===Involvement in Donghak=== The Donghak movement, which was first created by Choe 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.{{sfn|Park|2017|page=74}} Jeon interpreted the Donghak movement as a movement that promoted both personal spirituality and discipline ({{Korean|hangul=수심경천|hanja=守心敬天|labels=no}}) along with social reform ({{Korean|hangul=보국안민|hanja=輔國安民|labels=no}}).{{sfn|Park|2017|page=75}} According to the March 6, 1895 issue of the ''Tokyo Asahi Shimbun'', Jeon claimed in an interrogation that he was introduced to the Donghak movement by Kim Chi-do ({{Korean|hangul=김치도|hanja=金致道|labels=no}}) 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.{{refn|동학 입교에 대해서는 1895년 3월 6일자 『동경 조일 신문』 동학당 대두목의 후속 심문을 보면 “평상시 보국안민(輔國安民)의 생각을 지니고 있었는데 1892년 김치도(金致道)에 의해 동학 문건을 건네받고 ‘정심(正心)’이라는 내용에 감동해서 입교하였다”라고 밝히고 있다. 그리고 동학에 입교한 주목적을 “종교적 입장보다 탐관오리를 축출하고 보국안민의 대업을 이루려는 구상을 실현하기 위해 협동 일치와 결당(結黨)의 유용성 때문”이라고 밝혔다.<ref name=":1" />}}
Jeon became a prominent figure of the movement through his active engagement during the Gyojo Shinwon movement. Among the three main goals of the movement, he is said to have participated most enthusiastically in the expulsion of Japanese and Western influence.{{sfn|Park|2017|page=75}} 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 at {{ill|Samrye|ko|삼례읍}} and later gathered Donghak members in Wonpyeong in preparation for the February 1893 mass appeals at Gyeongbokgung and the subsequent March 1893 protests in Boeun.{{sfn|Park|2017|page=76}} He was soon promoted as the regional leader of the movement of Gobu by Choe Si-hyeong.<ref name = ":2" />
== Struggle and revolution == {{expand section|date=May 2024}}
===Gobu Revolt=== {{main|Gobu Revolt}} thumb|250x250px|right|Jeon, seated at center, after his capture at Ugeumchi in 1894. In December 1893, a group of Gobu peasants, who were enraged by the harsh policies enacted by Gobu magistrate {{ill|Jo Byeong-Gap|ko|조병갑}}, pleaded the lifting of heavy taxes and the return of extorted property. The central catalyst for the uprising was the extreme corruption of Gobu's magistrate, Jo Byeong-gap. Jo had forced local peasants to build the Manseokbo Reservoir on top of an already functional water source, only to subsequently levy heavy, unjustified water taxes on the very farmers who built it.<ref>{{Citation |title=Kim Gae-nam |date=2025-11-27 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kim_Gae-nam&oldid=1324477831 |access-date=2026-06-01 |language=en}}</ref>Additionally, Jo collected thousands of nyang under the guise of building a monument to his father, seized land from local farmers by forcing them to pay taxes on barren, tax-exempt soil, and unjustly fined wealthy citizens on spurious charges. In response, Jeon and twenty other local representatives drew and signed the "Sabal Tongmun" (사발통문) or "Bowl-shaped Manifesto" in November 1893.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0025732 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}</ref>The signatures were written in a circular pattern around the rim of a bowl to prevent authorities from identifying the leader or instigator of the rebellion, marking the formal beginning of their organized resistance. 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 local ''Gwan-a''.<ref name=":1" /> In response, Jeon gathered a group of 20 revolutionaries who pledged to gather forces and initiate a general revolt, with their names signed on the {{ill|Sabal Tongmun|ko|사발통문}} code. On January 10, 1894, a total of 1000 peasants revolted and attacked the ''Gwan-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 nearby Jeonju. The Joseon government appointed ''hyeongam''{{efn|(현감; 縣監) governor of a hyeon}} of yong-an Pak Won-myeong ({{Korean|hangul=박원명|hanja=朴源明|labels=no}}) 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 to {{ill|Baeksan Mountain|ko|백산}}.<ref name=":1" />
== End of revolution== 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 the Battle of Ugeumchi.
Following the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Ugeumchi, Jeon and his remaining troops retreated through Nonsan, making a final, desperate stand in Taein before he officially disbanded the peasant army to protect them from further slaughter.<ref name="encyclopedia_korea" /> Jeon fled to Sunchang in Jeolla Province to hide and plan a future counteroffensive. However, in December 1894, he was betrayed by a former associate, Han Jin-seop, and captured by pursuing government and Japanese troops.<ref>{{cite book |last=Setton |first=Mark |title=The Tonghak Peasant Rebellion: Religion, Nationalism, and Social Justice |journal=Journal of Korean Studies |year=1997 |volume=12 |pages=45-50}}</ref> During his arrest, Jeon was brutally beaten, resulting in both of his legs being broken. He was carried all the way to Seoul on a wooden pallet, where he was subjected to extensive interrogation.<ref name="pioneers">{{cite news |date=December 20, 2025 |title=Korea's Modern Pioneers: Judicial and Medical Legacy |url=[https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2025/12/20/W23VTP2UZRCGZIOXNZEFD4VN4M/](https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2025/12/20/W23VTP2UZRCGZIOXNZEFD4VN4M/) |access-date=2026-06-01 |newspaper=The Chosun Ilbo}}</ref>
An iconic photograph captured during this period shows Jeon with his traditional topknot, staring defiantly at the camera while being transported. He was put on trial in a newly established temporary court presided over by the Minister of Justice, Seo Gwang-bum, who had converted the Uigeumsa into a single-trial system.<ref name="pioneers" /> In an ironic historical twist, Jo Byeong-gap, whose corruption had initiated the rebellion, had escaped execution and entered the Ministry of Justice's Civil Affairs Bureau, serving as a member of the trial panel by rotation.<ref name="pioneers" /> Under the newly enacted Gabo Reforms, traditional execution methods like beheading and dismemberment had been abolished just four months prior in December 1894.<ref name="pioneers" /> Consequently, at 2 a.m. on April 24, 1895, Jeon Bong-jun was executed by hanging, representing one of the first executions carried out under Korea's modernized judicial system.<ref name="pioneers" /> Before his death, he remained resolutely defiant, declaring that his actions were motivated purely by a desire for social justice and the protection of his country from foreign encroachment.<ref>{{cite book |last=Suh |first=Young-Hee |title=The Donghak Peasant War and the Gabo Reform of 1894 |publisher=Seoul National University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-8-952-10842-5 |pages=112-115}}</ref>[[File:Jeon Bong Jun.jpg|left|thumb|Jeon Bong-jun statue in Seoul]]
==Cultural depictions== * Portrayed by Choi Moo-sung in the 2019 SBS TV series ''Nokdu Flower''. * There is a statue of Jeon Bong Jun in Seoul, at the intersection of Jong-ro and Ujeongguk-ro.
== See also == *Cheondoism *Donghak Peasant Revolution *Son Byong-Hi
==Footnotes== {{notelist}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
==Bibliography== {{refbegin}} *{{cite book|title=이이화 선생님이 들려주는 만화 한국사 이야기 7.근대와 일제 시대|first=E-Hwa|last=Lee|year=2004|isbn=89-15-02541-5|volume=7|publisher=삼성출판사|language=korean|author-link=Lee E-Hwa}} *{{cite book|title=전봉준, 혁명의 기록|first=E-Hwa|last=Lee|year=2014|isbn=9791185035925|publisher=Thinking Garden|language=Korean|author-link=Lee E-Hwa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AD9tDwAAQBAJ}} *{{cite magazine|title=전봉준의 평화사상|magazine=통일과 평화|publisher=The Institute for Peace and Unification Studies of Seoul National University|volume=1|year=2017|edition=9|first=Maeng-soo|last=Park|url=https://ipus.snu.ac.kr/blog/archives/publishing/1930|language=Korean}} {{refend}}
=== Further reading === 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. {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeon, Bong-jun}} Category:1855 births Category:1895 deaths Category:19th-century Korean poets Category:Participants in the Donghak Peasant Revolution