The rebellion of Chà Âng Yà Ârip in 1589, known in Korean as the Kich'uk oksa (기ì¶ÂìÂ¥ì¬, å·±ä¸ÂçÂÂäºÂ), was one of the bloodiest political purges in Korea's Joseon Dynasty. Its scale was greater than all four of the notorious literati purges combined. At that time Joseon politics was dominated by conflict between Eastern and Western factions. Neo-Confucian scholar and Easterner, Chà Âng Yà Ârip was accused of high treason, after which as many as 1,000 Easterners were killed or exiled. (Oksa means a major case involving high treason in Korean, and there were several events named oksa during the Joseon period.)
There is still much dispute about the Treason Case of 1589 because there is a wealth of conflicting historical accounts written by both factions. In the Annals of Joseon Dynasty, the official royal record of the Joseon Dynasty, the Seonjo Annals were written by the Easterners (who held power in Gwanghaegun's reign during which it was written) while the Revised Seonjo Annals were written by the Westerners who later seized power with a coup d'état that placed Injo on throne. In the Narratives of Yà Âllyà Âsil (), an unofficial history compiled by Yi Kà Âng'ik () much later, Yi included accounts of the both sides and marked them in different colors to identify them as such.
During King Seonjo's reign, the Sarim scholars following the Kim Chong-jik's school of Neo-Confucianism seized power after long period of persecution and purges. However, generational difference soon emerged within the Sarim faction - older generation who entered politics during predecessor Myeongjong's reign and younger generation who became officials during Seonjo's time. Their difference was reflected in their attitude toward Sim à ¬igyà Âm, Myeongjong's brother-in-law. The Sarim tended to regard the king's maternal relatives as corrupting influence on the court and best to be excluded from politics. But the older generation, which came to be called the Westerners because Sim's house was on the west of the palace, supported Sim for being Yi Hwang's disciple and protecting them from yet another purge of Sarim that had been planned by his uncle. However, the younger generation, called Easterners because its leader Kim Hyowà Ân's house was on the east of the palace, regarded Sim and older Sarim officials as partly responsible for excesses of Myeongjong's reign, which was notorious for corruption and abuse by Yun Wà Ânhyà Âng, Myeong's maternal uncle. Philosophically, Easterners tended to be followers of Yi Hwang and Jo Shik while the Westerners followed Yi I and Seong Hun.
This division was soon brought into open conflict, mainly due to a personal grudge between Sim and Kim. When a key position in the Ministry of Personnel became vacant and Kim was recommended by the former office holder, Sim opposed Kim's appointment claiming that Kim was Yun Wà Ânhyà Âng's hanger-on. There could be no greater insult to a Sarim scholar. Kim, who was nevertheless appointed to the position, later opposed Sim's younger brother being appointed to the same position as his successor. Yi I attempted to prevent the factional split by appointing Sim à ¬igyà Âm and Kim Hyowà Ân to provincial posts away from the court and tried to arrange a truce between Easterner Yi Pal and Westerner Chà Âng Ch'à Âl. After Yi I's death, however, the conflict between two factions became more intense as the Easterners impeached Sim à ¬igyà Âm, leading to his dismissal, and gained the upper hand.
As Easterners began to take key positions, Chà Âng Yà Ârip changed his affiliation from the Western to Eastern faction and criticized his teacher Yi I after his death, earning hatred and contempt of the Westerners as well as Seonjo, who greatly respected Yi I. Chà Âng left the court and went back to his hometown where he formed a private society with his supporters. Called Great Common Society (ëÂÂëÂÂê³Â), anyone could join the society regardless of one's social status or gender, and they met each month to socialize together as well as study and also undergo military training. It was not a secret society as it helped defeat the Japanese marauders at the local government's request in one occasion. The society spread throughout Honam region (today's Jeolla) and even beyond. One day a government official in Hwanghae province reported to King Seonjo that there was conspiracy for rebellion in his areas and that their leader was Chà Âng Yà Ârip.
There is still a great deal of dispute whether Chà Âng was conspiring to rebel or whether it was a frame up concocted by the Westerners. There is also a dispute about the nature and purpose of Great Common Society. Chà Âng supposedly said, "the world is something to be shared and therefore there cannot be one master." He argued that the world belonged to the people, and whoever chosen by them was the king. Chà Âng's philosophy reflected a desire for classless society, opposition to hereditary monarchy, and possibly even republicanism. Such revolutionary ideas and presence of armed supporters could not help but attract attention of his enemies. For a long time in Korean history, Chà Âng Yà Ârip's rebellion has been accepted as a fact even by the Easterners, but some historians note that there was no evidence except confessions from tortured followers and letters and writings discovered in his house, which could have been forged.
What is undisputed is that Chà Âng Yà Ârip's supposed rebellion led to a widespread purge of countless Easterners who had nothing to do with Chà Âng and who died terrible deaths as a result. Chà Âng Ch'à Âl, head of the Western faction and a famous poet whose poems are still studied in Korean schools, was in charge of investigating the case and used the case to purge Easterners who had slightest connection with Chà Âng Yà Ârip. It was said that even a man who shed tears because dust entered his eyes (when Chà Âng Yà Ârip's body was mutilated after his suicide) was killed for suspected sympathy for Chà Âng Yà Ârip.
According to some accounts, the origin of Treason Case of 1589 goes back to the Third Literati Purge of 1519 during Jungjong's reign and the resulting grudge between two families. After the head of the Sarim, Cho Kwangjo, was executed on framed charges in 1519, Right State Councillor An Tang was dismissed for supporting Cho and his followers, among whom were his sons. In 1521, Song Saryà Ân, An's family slave who rose to become a government official of senior fifth rank under An Tang's patronage, reported to King Jungjong that An Tang's son was conspiring to kill Chief State Councillor Nam Kon and Sim Chà Âng, instigators of the Third Literati Purge of 1519. He presented a guest list for funeral of An's wife as the evidence of conspiratorsâ meeting. At least a dozen Sarim scholars including An Tang and his family were killed in this event, called False Treason Case of 1521 (Sinsa muok÷ì ì¬무ìÂÂ¥), and Song Saryà Ân was rewarded with promotion to high rank and the An family's entire possessions.
One of his sons was Song Ikp'il, who became a scholar of such renown that he formed friendship with Yi I and leading Westerners who praised that his achievement was enough to cover his father's crimes. It is remarkable indeed that Song Ikp'il overcame the fact that his father not only betrayed his master and benefactor, which would be considered one of the worst sins in Confucian world, but caused one of purges against the Sarim scholars, especially Cho Kwangjo's supporters. By Seonjo's reign, the Sarim faction took control of the government and Cho Kwangjo and the An family were fully rehabilitated as their martyrs.
However, some hardline Easterners saw Song Ikp'il as the mastermind behind the Westerners and instigated the descendants of An Tang to seek justice and punishment for Song Saryà Ân, who was then deceased after enjoying thirty years of power and wealth. After an reinvestigation in 1586, it was determined that An Tang and others were falsely accused by Song Saryoen and over 70 family members of Song Saryà Ân including Song Ikp'il were enslaved and given to Ahn family as compensation. Facing certain revenge from aggrieved An family, the Song family scattered and became fugitives. Song Ikp'il, who turned from a respected scholar to fugitive slave overnight, hid himself by secretly staying with leaders of the Westerners such as Chà Âng Ch'à Âl, his disciple and famous scholar Kim Jang-saeng, and even an Easterner like Yi Sanhae. According to some accounts, it was while Song Ikp'il was in Hwanghae area that the accusation of treason was made against Chà Âng Yà Ârip, who lived in Honam. During the whole period when Chà Âng Ch'à Âl was in charge of investigating the treason case and interrogated the Easterners, Song Ikp'il was said to be staying with Chà Âng Ch'à Âl.
When the accusation against Chà Âng Yà Ârip was first made, the Easterners held key positions and were in charge of investigating the case. The Easterners told Seonjo that Chà Âng Yà Ârip could not possibly be plotting a rebellion when Chà Âng unexpectedly committed suicide, which was considered an admission of guilt. The Westerners accused the Easterners of being half-hearted in pursuing the case, and Seonjo promoted hardline Westerner Chà Âng Ch'à Âl as Right State Councillor and put him in charge of investigation despite Chà Âng Ch'à Âl's initial refusal. Soon afterward, Chà Âng Yà Ârip's nephew began to mention names of the Easterners including Left State Councillor Chà Âng à Ânsin, hardliner Yi Pal, and many others (It was customary to use to torture when interrogating prisoners). Their denial of being close to Chà Âng Yà Ârip angered Seonjo since many of their letters were found in Chà Âng's house, some of which were critical of the king and his rule. (It was said that Chà Âng à Ânsin was told by his men that his letters with Chà Âng were destroyed, but they only destroyed ones that directly mentioned his name and not nicknames. When Chà Âng à Ânsin denied exchanging letters with Chà Âng Yà Ârip, Seonjo angrily asked, "Does he think I have no eyes?" pointing to 19 letters in which they discussed state affairs.) Chà Âng Ch'à Âl asked for leniency with Chà Âng à Ânsin, Yi Pal, and others claiming that they could not know Chà Âng Yà Ârip's evil side, but the Easterners claim that Chà Âng Ch'à Âl sought to destroy them while appearing to try to save them on the outside. Indeed, Yi Pal, Yi Pal's brother, Ch'oe Yà Ânggyà Âng, and many others died in prison of torture or illness. (Chà Âng Ch'à Âl's animosity with Yi Pal was such that he even spat on him in one occasion.) Even Yi Pal's 80-year-old mother and 8-year-old son were killed (although Chà Âng Ch'à Âl supposedly opposed it). The treason case went on for three years, and 1,000 people were killed or exiled. (According to some accounts, the death toll was 1,000.)
However, it was Seonjo who probably played a greater role than anyone else in turning Chà Âng Yà Ârip's treason case into the widespread purge it became. Sarim's division strengthened the king's power, and the purge was focused on hardline Easterners (Chà Âng Yà Ârip, Yi Pal) as opposed to moderate Easterners (Yi Sanhae, Yu Sà Ângnyong) who came out unscathed. Hardline Easterners were the most radical of the Sarim factions. In contrast, Yi Sanhae and Yu Sà Ângnyong were protected by Seonjo when their names came up in the treason case. Later Seonjo would blame Chà Âng Ch'à Âl for excesses of Treason Case of 1589.
The Treason Case of 1589 is significant as the moment when the conflict within Sarim faction was irrevocably marred with bad blood, becoming a struggle of life and death that characterized many periods of Joseon politics. The Eastern faction was further split between hardline Northerners and moderate Southerners over the question of punishing Chà Âng Ch'à Âl and other Westerners. The Northern faction came on top and continued the cycle of revenge for earlier wrongs. The Treason Case of 1589 is also blamed for Joseon's unpreparedness and poor showing in the Japanese Invasion of 1592 three years later. Some historians blame Treason Case of 1589 for the subsequent discrimination against Honam region as land of rebellion, whose effect is still felt today. It is also remembered today for Chà Âng Yà Ârip's revolutionary ideas ahead of its time.