The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
History
The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)
Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
Korea -- History
In 1168 Ch’oe Ch’ŭk-kyŭng became prefect of T’am-na (Quelpart). He was
well liked by the people and when he was removed and another man put in
his place they rose in revolt, drove out the successor and said they
would have no governor but Ch’oe. So the King was obliged to reinstate
him. These people of Quelpart were very unruly. It was only during the
reign of this king’s father that the first prefect had been sent to that
island.
The king sent a commission to Dagelet island off the east coast to find
out whether it was habitable. They brought back an adverse report.
Besides his partiality to Buddhism the king added another burden to
those which the people already carried. He made the eunuchs his
instruments to exact money from the people, and to such as supplied him
with the most money from this illegal practice he gave rank and honors.
The king was continually feasting, but none of the military men enjoyed
his favor or shared his hospitality. Matters came to a crisis when in
1170 one of the military officials was struck by a civil official of a
lower grade in the presence of the king while at a monastery outside the
city. The matter was hushed up for the moment but when the company
separated some of the generals assembled the palace guards and seized
and killed the two leading civil officials. One, Han Roe, escaped and
hid behind the king’s bed. In spite of this the generals entered and
dragged him away to his death. Then they began to slaughter the civil
officials and eunuchs indiscriminately. The records say that the dead
bodies were piled “mountains high.” The military officials had a sign by
which they might be distinguished. The right shoulder was left bare and
they wore a head-dress called the _pok-tu_. Whoever was found lacking
these two signs was cut down. The king was in mortal fear and tried to
propitiate the leading general by the gift of a beautiful sword. He
accepted it but the work of death went on. They took the king back to
the capital and, arriving at the palace, cut down ten leading men at
that point. Then they went to the palace of the crown prince and killed
ten more. Proclamation was made in the main street “Kill any official
wearing the garments of the civil rank”. This was the sign for a general
slaughter and fifty more of the officials were murdered. After this,
twenty eunuchs were beheaded and their heads were set upon pikes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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