[Editorial] Historical populism

The government of North Jeolla Province in southwestern Korea will reportedly pay an annual allowance of 1.2 million won ($868) to each of 723 family members of participants in the Donghak Peasant Revolution, which took place 132 years ago.

The government is using taxpayers’ money to provide cash payments to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of participants in the revolution, as descendants of victims of the historic event of 1894-1895. The Donghak Peasant Revolution was a popular uprising against feudalism and foreign powers, sparked by local officials’ exploitative taxation and ruthless rule. The uprising prompted military intervention by China and Japan and ultimately led to the First Sino-Japanese War.

The very idea of digging up history as far back as the late Joseon period to create a sort of veterans’ allowance is simply absurd.

Even more astonishing is the dire financial situation facing the provincial government.

In 2024, North Jeolla’s fiscal self-reliance ratio stood at 23.51 percent, the lowest among the country’s 16 metropolitan cities and provinces. Its own revenue is barely enough to cover the salaries of its civil servants, and the province is now deeply in debt after issuing local government bonds to make up for a budget shortfall.

Moreover, North Jeolla Province has forced the cities and counties under its jurisdiction to shoulder 70 percent of the cost of these allowances. The financial situation is even worse at the city and county level: Most, with the exception of Jeonju, had fiscal self-reliance ratios below 20 percent, while Jinan County ranked last among the country’s local governments at just 6.69 percent.

The decision to pay the allowance sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the nation’s veterans’ benefits system.

Even the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has opposed granting official honors to participants in the Donghak revolution, citing a lack of academic consensus and the risk of confusion with independence activists officially honored by the government.

The Democratic Party of Korea has been relentless in its push to grant special recognition and benefits to participants in the Donghak Peasant Revolution, which began in North Jeolla Province, one of its political strongholds.

The relevant special law was enacted in 2004, and the Roh Moo-hyun administration began accepting applications to register participants and bereaved family members. When applications remained low, it expanded the scope of eligible bereaved family members in 2007 to include even great-great-grandchildren.

If this is how historical events are to be recognized, there is reason to restore the honor of the farmers who rose up against corrupt officials in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, more than 30 years before the Donghak Peasant Revolution. By the same logic, allowances would have to be paid to the bereaved families of peasants who took up arms against corrupt officials around the turn of the 20th century — and perhaps even to the descendants of those who fought Japanese invaders during the 1592 invasion of Joseon.

When it comes to Korea’s independence movement, it is only reasonable to limit official government compensation to those who contributed to the movement after Korea came under Japanese colonial rule. The government could go further back in time, but it would become increasingly difficult to identify those involved, locate their descendants who are alive, and reach agreement on how the events should be assessed.

The Donghak Peasant Revolution is already taught in school textbooks. Memorial towers and monuments have also been erected at major historic sites. Their honor has already been restored.

Yet this financially strapped North Jeolla plans to pay allowances to the descendants of those who participated in a popular uprising more than 130 years ago. This is an exploitation of history for populist ends, giving the Donghak Peasant Revolution preferential treatment over other historical events.