Jeonbuk to Pay Annual Allowance of 1.2 Million Won to Bereaved Families of Donghak Peasant Revolution

Jeonbuk State has decided to become the first metropolitan local government in South Korea to provide a regular bereaved family allowance to the descendants of participants in the Donghak Peasant Revolution that took place 132 years ago.

The recipients are registered family members under the Special Act on the Restoration of Honor of Participants in the Donghak Peasant Revolution, totaling 723 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who have resided in Jeonbuk for at least one year as of January 1 of this year.

The allowance is set at 1.2 million won per person annually, which is double the initially planned amount of 600,000 won.

Jeonbuk State and its municipal governments will share the budget, injecting a total project cost of 868 million won this year.

The Donghak Peasant Revolution, which broke out in 1894, was a large-scale anti-feudal and anti-foreign popular movement led by peasants and Donghak followers centered around figures like Jeon Bong-jun, Kim Gae-nam, and Son Hwa-jung. It developed into a modern national movement calling for the abolition of the class system and the rejection of foreign forces.

As the Donghak Peasant Revolution is the root of modern democracy but does not receive state-merit recognition under the current veterans' welfare system, Jeonbuk State expects that this allowance will fill the gap in local government-level honors and serve as a priming water to expand national-level recognition.

In addition, the local government plans to continuously petition the government to confer official state honors on the participants and include the spirit of the Donghak Peasant Revolution in the preamble of the Constitution.

However, voices of concern regarding this support continue to emerge.

Critics question whether it is appropriate to use tax revenue to provide annual regular allowances to great-grandchildren who did not experience direct damage, more than 130 years after the revolution occurred.

There is also criticism that if local governments expand cash-like support to the descendants of specific historical figures, equity issues with other historical events could arise.

Jeonbuk State plans to disburse the allowance between November and December, following application receptions and verification procedures next month.

(Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video edited by Jang Yu-jin | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.