Revolutionary Jeolla Province

One of the most common assumptions about South Korea is that non-conformity does not really exist. It is an easy, if incorrect, assumption to make. South Korean society is very homogenous, and with an emphasis on the collective instead of the individual, it can sometimes seem like there are no non-conformists. This is patently untrue. In regards to ideas of conformity and rebellion, one of the most interesting stories in Korea is the story of the Jeolla province.

The Jeolla province and the city of Gwangju have a very interesting relationship with the rest of Korea. Many Koreans from other regions comment on the “country-style” of Jeolla, which is often just a nicer way of saying something is backwards or rural. People from the Jeolla province in turn talk about the apathy, and in some cases, hostility of people from other regions.

This regional rivalry can be traced back to the period of the Three Kingdoms around the sixth century of the Common Era. The three Kingdoms were Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje. Goguryeo was in the northern part of the peninsula, in the current area of Seoul and North Korea. Silla was along the East coast, in the area now known as the Gyeongsang province. Baekje was along the West coast in the area currently known as Jeolla.

While the three Kingdoms shared a common language and similar religions, they were at odds with each other. Likewise, the culture between the three kingdoms also had some marked differences. In both Goguryeo and Silla, women held less power than men (excluding the wonderful exception that
was Queen Seondeok of Silla). Women in Baekje had more freedoms, one of the most notable being the ability to host and entertain other women within their own homes. Of course, compared to the later Joseon dynasty, where women had to cover their faces and not leave the house, women during the three Kingdoms were relatively equal to men and lived rich lives.

The Silla kingdom eventually invaded the Baekje Kingdom and then the Goguryeo Kingdom, uniting all three under the reign of Silla. There were several failed revolutionary movements to bring back the Baekje Kingdom, and in 900 CE, one finally succeeded. The former area of Baekje broke away and became Hubaekje. One year later Hugoguryeo also broke away. In 936 the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, Wang Geon, re-conquered the area. Wang was a benevolent ruler and gave land and money to the former Silla Kingdom and their king. He gave nothing to the former Baekje Kingdom as he despised them. Wang declared the region to be a “perverse and rebellious land.” He then decreed tha no one from that area was allowed to hold a government job, which was the most lucrative of all jobs at that time.

The rivalry between the Jeolla and the rest of Korea continued in the 20th century. After the Korean War the Jeolla province was put under a military government from 1961 to 1987. This government was run by military personnel from Gyeongsang. No one native to Jeolla was involved at the upper echelons. During the economic boom of President Park Chung-hee, the Jeolla area was often overlooked when it came to money and supplies, leaving their infrastructure floundering and causing it to develop slower than the rest of the country.

And of course, there is the Gwangju Massacre. After Park Chung-hee’s assassination and Chun Doo-hwan’s rise to power, the uprising in Gwangju was brutally crushed by the military. The military that was sent to crush the civilian protest was personally sent by Chun Doo-hwan, a native of Gyeongsang.

Even in the 21st century, this regional rivalry still exists. The past few elections have shown a stark divide between the Korean people. In 2007 Lee Myung-bak beat Chung Dong-young in a landslide. Looking at the numbers, Lee defeated Chung in every province except Jeolla. In the Jeolla province, Lee only received nine percent of the votes. In the 2012 election, Park Geun-hye ran against Moon Jae-in. Moon Jae-in won in only two areas: Seoul and the Jeolla Province. In Gwangju, Moon Jae-in received 92 percent of the vote. Today the Jeolla province is still suffering from the many injustices of its past. Jeolla has many of the poorest urban centers in Korea (excluding
Gwangju and Jeonju), and the province only gained highway connections to the rest of Korea a decade ago, courtesy of past Korean President Kim Dae-jung.

This suffering has had an interesting effect on Jeolla and its people. The importance of democracy and human rights cannot be overstated in Gwangju. While the Jeollanese are often seen as rude and contrary by the rest of the country, the reality is that the people in Jeolla are full of life. Koreans from Jeolla fully experience both han (sadness) and heung (great happiness). Jeong (the pride of being Korean) is also high in Jeolla, and there is a strong sense of sharing and responsibility, which leads to close relationships. In Jeolla, instead of calling older female workers ajumma, which often carries a stigma, they are called imo or Aunt. According to Korea, the Jeolla region is home to some of the most opinionated and fiery people in the country, but the same people are also the kindest and most generous people. The Jeolla province would have been better, if it had not suffered so many injustices. But without suffering through those injustices, Jeolla would not be what it is today.