In the near 16th to 20th centuries, Yangban officials were the ruler of all the states and county. Peasants were the lowest class in the late Korea because they were mostly started as a slavery then became a farmer. They were not educated enough to fight against the official or have a chance to become one. In this time period, religion became an important role for peasants to live with. Buddhism was a religion for every peasants to have faith with and they believe that Buddhism was the only help for them to fight against their life threat, the Yangban. Many people realized the this was the time for the rebellion to happen and gain power from. Many people claimed that they were the person that was send by Buddha and came to rule over Korea. …show more content…
They were being used violence to force to pay the taxes to the Yangban. Even the peasants want to rebels from this violence ruling, but they were not smart and powerful enough to start the rebellion. This is when Buddhism became part of the important character in all the rebellions in the history. People used Buddhism as a mental tool to persuade the peasants to rebel. In the reading “Popular Unrest”, a crazy monk took the first step to convince the peasants to follow his order by claiming that he was chosen by Buddha that he will be the ruler of Korea. He was the first insight that came into the Korea government. In the reading, it said : “He also said that Maitreya and the Old man who Dwells Beneath the waves had told him that if he worshiped Buddha, Buddha would turn Korea over to him.” (Popular Unrest 174). This evidence shows that religion can give people a mental support to fight against others or for personal benefits. The monk was a normal citizen in the Korean county, but he claimed that he was chosen by Buddha that he can take over Korea if he worship Buddha. Then he met other two person who were just like him, planning to rebel against the Korea government. When Buddhism rised, it was the time that peasants felt hopeless because they were being oppressed by the Yangban and the landlord. They can not fight against the higher class because the fear of ruling was rooted deep under their mind. …show more content…
An example like Hong’s rebellion, the old Korean government was not arrow their position to be threaten by other new people like Hong. In the text ‘The Grant Style”, an evidence that shows the Korean Government does not want the new uprising people to have too much status. “ The Seoul elite considered the north a backwater, and this discrimination restricted the number of northerners able to pass the official exam. [...]. As a result, almost no yangban families in the northwest belonged to the upper echelon of their status group. Only to locally powerful alliances, creating a distinctly regional social structure.”(The grant style 156). The narrow minded of Korean government led to the rebellion. If the Korean government allow and accept the new up rising families and accept the talented peasants. Rebellion would not happened and social class issue would not even form. Many of the peasants were mostly hope to have a fair status and a better life, but the Korean government took it as a threat and suppressed the movement as a rebels. Which eventually made it into a real rebellion. Therefore, religion is just a mental support for the peasants, but the source of rebellion is the Korean government