SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

ASNS1602 Modernity in Asia – Essay

Name: Ara Cho

SID: 310 249 430

Tutor: Eileen Walsh

Date due: 29/10/10

Word count: 1986 words

Essay Topic: “The great changes of the twentieth century left peasant life largely untouched.” Is
this true? Discuss with reference to one Asian country.

“The great changes of the twentieth century left peasant life largely untouched.” This

statement can be thoroughly negated, through a close examination of peasant life and society

within Korea during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although there were vast and

tremendous changes during the twentieth century, these processes were undoubtedly catalysed by

the many elements of change during the nineteenth century. In pre-industrial Korean society, the

bulk of the population was comprised of peasants; they typically made up the majority of the

agricultural labour force. However, due to a variety of intervening factors, peasant life gradually

diminished. Through an examination of the origins of the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894,

we are able to understand the insecurities of the Korean peasant society. The ideas of the

Donghak Peasant Revolution were carried through for many years, and a scrupulous study of the

many protests conducted by peasant society during Japanese colonial period in Korea (1910-45)

reveal the peasant society as a key component of Korea’s modernisation process. Furthermore,

Industrialisation along with the Great Depression greatly impacted peasant life during the first

half of the twentieth century. While, another key component which still to this day affects

peasant life is the establishment of the WTO. Through a thorough inspection of these factors we
1
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

are able to reach a new found understanding of how peasant life was affected by the great

changes of the twentieth century.

The Donghak Peasant Revolution illuminates the way in which peasant life was affected

by the great changes of the nineteenth century. Peasants became disillusioned with the rule of the

upper yangban classes1 - administrators and bureaucrats who oversaw Korea's traditional

agrarian bureaucracy; they comprised the Confucian idea of a "scholarly official”. Meanwhile,

drought and floods alternately struck the rice fields and farms of Korea and caused great famines.

Additionally, the rulers of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897) increased taxes on farm crops and

imposed more unpaid labour on the starving peasants. Anti-government and anti-landlord

sentiment brought about violent uprisings against provincial officials and the wealthy

landowners2. These local rulers often exploited destitute farmers, and were extremely corrupt.

These smaller uprisings triggered revolts in many other areas in Korea, where groups of peasants

attacked government offices with arms, with many government officials being executed. In 1860,

Choe Je-U (1824-64) established the principles and ideology of Donghak (Eastern Learning)

with the intention of helping farmers suffering from poverty, unrest and of restoring political and

social stability. The Donghak ideology was a mixture of elements from Confucianism, Buddhism

and Songyo, modern humanistic, rhetoric of exclusionism from foreign influences, an early form

of nationalism and class struggle ideas that today may be considered Marxist3. Choe was also

1
Lone, Stewart, Korea Since 1850 (Palgrave Macmillan (September 1993)), p. 34

2
Lone, Korea Since 1850, p.40

3
Shin, Soonchui, A Short History of the Donghak Peasant Revolution (Donghak Peasant Revolution

Memorial Association (2008)), p.71-83

2
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

alarmed by the intrusion of Christianity and the Anglo-French occupation of Beijing during the

Second Opium War(1856–60). He believed that the best way to counter foreign influence in

Korea was to introduce democratic and human rights reforms internally4. Nationalism and social

reform became popular among the peasant guerrillas, and Donghak ideology spread all across

Korea. Although these uprisings were brutally stopped by government troops, peasants continued

their stance against poor treatment until 1894. While the revolution failed, it made a significant

contribution to Korean modernization that resulted from the peasants' demands for democracy,

the expulsion of foreign influence and an end to feudalism.

An exploration of the significant formative role social forces have played in shaping

Korea's historical trajectory and rapid modernization reveals the way in which peasant life was

affected.  Historical and political agency is located in the society, particularly in populist

Minjung forces such as peasants and tenant farmers, blue collar industrial workers5. Gi-Wook

Shin's central argument is that "Korean peasant activism in the first half of the twentieth century

has greatly influenced society and politics in the second" (p. 174). In particular he shows how

such protests influenced the course of postwar rural class relations and social structures.  He

argues this historical influence, citing peasant activism as the basis for social revolution and the

land reforms in Korea, and the various struggles around land that took place in the immediate

circumstances of a liberated South Korea. Peasant radicalism and dissent in Korea was various

4
Shin, A Short History of the Donghak Peasant Revolution, p.55

5
Shin, Gi-Wook, Peasant Protest & Social Change in Colonial Korea (University of Washington

Press; First Edition (March 1997)), p. 12

3
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

and multifaceted during the colonial period6, evident in the various forms of resistance displayed

by peasants, however a focus on the ‘Red peasant union movement" (1930-39) reveals the true

nature of these revolts and how peasant life was affected by the great changes of the twentieth

century. Through an exploration of the actual socio-economic circumstances of the peasants,

concentrating on the varying effects of colonialism and commercialisation on different rural class

strata it can be established that colonialism and commercialisation did not polarise, but greatly

diversified the rural class structure, so that protests and struggles emerged around a variety of

claims and issues of certain groups7. The origins of the red peasant union movement can be

traced back to the land tenure system and differentiated rural class structure. The world market

dramatically altered Korea’s agrarian system during the early twentieth century, reducing

peasants’ subsistence margin and rendering them increasingly vulnerable, income fluctuations

and subsistence crises combined resulted in devastating conditions for peasants. Korean harvest

was large however plummeting agricultural prices dropped the actual income of most peasants

well below subsistence, rendering peasant population in a poverty stricken situation. Land was

amassed by big landlords while small owners and part owners became landless tenants. As a

result of this agricultural depression, falling agricultural prices crushed middle peasants who had

borrowed from rural credit societies or commercial banks at high interest rates. Shin argues that

“the point is not that landless tenants were better off than owners, but that the depression eroded

the position of owners more seriously”, this vulnerability was relative to economic changes

wrought by commercialism8. These conditions aroused discontent and the peasants organized the

6
Robinson, Michael E., Korea's Twentieth-century Odyssey (University of Hawaii Press (June 2007)), p.27

7
Shin, Peasant Protest & Social Change in Colonial Korea, p. 75-114

8
Shin, Peasant Protest & Social Change in Colonial Korea, p. 75-114.
4
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

red peasant union fighting for both political and economic demands. Political issues ranged from

abolition of authoritarian laws, to freedom of speech, publication and meetings, to the overthrow

of Japanese imperialism. Economic concerns broadened to include the interests of tenants,

owner-cultivators and wage labourers. The unpleasant conditions peasants were forced to endure

became a catalyst for rebellions and the fight better peasant life.

The discontent of peasants in the twentieth century, stems from the rapid industrialization

of Korea, this tremendously affected the way in which peasants operated. Industrialisation within

Korea saw a rapid move away from the manufacturing of value added goods in the 1950s and

1960s to more advanced industries9. South Korea has become one of the major economic powers

of the world, with their high technology and service industries emerging through rapid

industrialization. However, it is essential to first examine the emergences of industrialisation and

the economic development of Korea in the 1930s and the profound impact it brought unto

everyday life in Korea, and peasant life. As industry expanded, hundreds of thousands of

peasants found themselves in factory jobs. The factory work force in Korea doubled in the 30s

and exponentially increased from 384,951 in 1932 to 1,321,713 in 194310. The concentration of

labour forces into factories brought about the rise of large towns to serve and house the working

population. Workers were forced to leave their families and homes in order to work in towns and

cities where industries were found. These workers were relegated to secondary jobs in an

ethnically demarcated workplace, hence occupying the bottom of the labour hierarchy. A focus

9
Robinson, Korea's Twentieth-century Odyssey, pg.13.

10
Lewis, James B., Korea and Globalization: Politics, Economics and Culture (Routledge ( 28 March 2002)), p. 81
5
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

of the agriculture of Korea, reveals the great struggles of peasant life during these times. During

the 1910s, favourable agricultural prices and strong encouragement by the colonial government

had accelerated agricultural commercialization, and by the early 1930s rice constituted over 70%

of all agricultural production, however more than 40% of this produce went to Japan11. With the

great depression however, the prices of rice in 1927 fell 22% below than in 1925, and by 1931,

were only 39% of the 1925 price, this pushed peasants into subsistence crises and poverty12. The

Far Eastern Daily reported that “the number of peasants who are struggling on the death line is

over 90% of the total population of the country”13. Additionally, a colonial government

publication reported that 46.5% of the rural population in 1930 suffered the notorious spring

poverty, 68% among tenants14. Shin argues this poverty was “detritus from the crumbling world

(Japanese) market”15. When the Japanese launched the rice increase plan in 1920, the colonial

government pursued three methods of land improvement – better irrigation, changing dry fields

to paddy fields and developing uncultivated lands, the first being of critical importance as

Korean agriculture was regularly devastated by droughts and floods. These associations were

funded by the colonial government and loans obtained from sources were funded by the colonial

government and loans obtained from banks, incurring a 25-year payback. Theoretically,

increased yields, hence profits, would exceed fees charged for association debts, however the

average fee was more than the increased profit, becoming a great burden for landowners and

11
Lewis, Korea and Globalization: Politics, Economics and Culture, p.112

12
Lewis, Korea and Globalization: Politics, Economics and Culture, p.113

13
Lewis, Korea and Globalization: Politics, Economics and Culture, p.113-114

14
Lewis, Korea and Globalization: Politics, Economics and Culture, p.116

15
Shin, Peasant Protest & Social Change in Colonial Korea, p. 104
6
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

peasants during the depression years. Hence, the Irrigation Association became known as the

“cancer of Korean rural economy”16.

The Korean Peasants League (KPL) is another interesting aspect on how the changes of

the twentieth century have affected peasant life. The establishment of the World Trade

Organisation (WTO) in 1995 has brought about the formation of the KPL, intending to fight

against the indiscriminate opening of the agricultural market by WTO neo-liberalism, to prevent

the indiscriminate import of agro-livestock products and achieve self-sufficiency in food and

preserve the environment. Another aim of the KPL includes the battle against farmers’ debt and

policies that destroy agriculture, to secure peasants’ political, economic and social rights and

safeguard their welfare, building an independent economy17. Since an agreement was reached in

Uruguay Round in 1993, the Korean government who joined the WTO has opened up Korea’s

agricultural market. Hence, the existence of Korean agriculture and peasant life has been

threatened. The rate of food self-sufficiency has been decreasing continuously since the opening

of Korea’s agricultural market. The farming population, which was over 10 million in 1980, has

dramatically fallen to 3.5 million and it is continuously falling, with the rural population steadily

aging, as only 0.2% of the rural population are under 30 years of age, thus the farming

population can only continue to decrease in the future. Additionally, income disparities are

increasing between rural areas and urban areas decreasing 20% within 8 years. These statistics

16
Shin, Peasant Protest & Social Change in Colonial Korea, p.99

17
Korean Peasants League, Korean Peasants League, created January 1999/updated 11 October 2005, <

http://www.ijunnong.net/en/article/index.php>, viewed 22 October 2010.

7
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

demonstrate the hardships of peasants in rural areas of Korea as a result of the WTO; they argue

that agriculture is not the real issue, but that “WTO is killing farmers”18.

It is clear that peasant life has been detrimentally affected by the great changes of the

twentieth century. Peasant life has diminished to the point where their existence is being

threatened. The Donghak Peasant Revolution, among other rebellions establishes the

discontented peasant population, and their demands for better living standards. Their demands

can be basically traced back to economic factors. Radical ideologies of the twentieth century,

which brought about Korea’s modernization process, deteriorated peasants’ life in Korea. This is

an ongoing issue, clear evidenced by the KPL and their fight against the WTO.

Bibliography

Korean Peasants League, Korean Peasants League, created January 1999/updated 11 October

2005, < http://www.ijunnong.net/en/article/index.php>, viewed 22 October 2010.

Lewis, James B., Korea and Globalization: Politics, Economics and Culture (Routledge ( 28

March 2002)).

18
Korean Peasants League, Korean Peasants League, < http://www.ijunnong.net/en/article/index.php>.
8
SID: 310 249 430 Ara Cho

Lone, Stewart, Korea Since 1850 (Palgrave Macmillan (September 1993)).

Robinson, Michael E., Korea's Twentieth-century Odyssey (University of Hawaii Press (June

2007)).

Shin, Gi-Wook, Peasant Protest & Social Change in Colonial Korea (University of Washington

Press; First Edition (March 1997)).

Shin, Soonchui, A Short History of the Donghak Peasant Revolution (Donghak Peasant

Revolution Memorial Association (2008)).