Myoch'ŏng

Myoch'ŏng (Korean: 묘청; Hanja: 妙淸) was a Korean Buddhist monk, rebel and geomancer of the royal court of the Goryeo dynasty.

Myoch'ŏng's Rebellion

During the reign of King Injong of Goryeo, Myoch'ŏng argued that Goryeo had become weakened by Confucian ideals. His views directly conflicted with Kim Bu-sik, a prominent Song/China-oriented Confucian scholar. On a broader scale, this represented the ongoing struggle between the Confucian and Buddhist elements and factions in Korean society.

It was during this period that the Jin dynasty of China was exerting pressure on Goryeo. The trouble with the Jin dynasty was partly due to Goryeo's underestimation of the newly established state and the ill-treatment of its envoys (i.e. killing them and humiliating their corpse). Goryeo's dislike and reluctance for the Jurchens stemmed from the fact that they were once a subservient tribe under Goryeo's predecessor state Goguryeo, and took Jurchen assertion of equality with Goryeo as an offense. Taking advantage of the situation, Myoch'ŏng purposed to attack the Jin dynasty and that moving Goryeo's capital to Sŏgyŏng, currently Pyongyang, would assure success.

King Injong was persuaded by Myoch'ŏng. However, the rest of the royal court and bureaucracy did not support the move, and the king had to back out of his commitments to Myoch'ŏng.

Frustrated at the resistance of the southern elites (who feared losing their dominant position) against moving the capital to the former Goguryeo capital and reclaim former Goguryeo lands in Manchuria, Myoch'ŏng led a rebellion against the Goryeo government and formed a breakaway regime. He established in Pyongyang, known as Sŏgyŏng (서경; 西京; lit. Western Capital) at the time, his new state of Daewi (대위; 大為). According to Myoch'ŏng, the Goryeo capital of Kaegyŏng was "depleted of virtue." This made Sŏgyŏng the ideal location for the supposed dynastic revival.

The rebellion was crushed by forces led by the scholar-general Kim Bu-sik.

See also

• History of Korea
• Goryeo
• Shin Chaeho

External links

• Myocheong (in Korean)
• Myocheong (in Korean)