Im Kkeokjeong

In this Korean name, the family name is Im.

Im Kkeok-jeong (Korean: 임꺽정; Hanja: 林巪正; 1521–1562^[a]) was the leader of a peasant rebellion in the Hwanghae Province during 1559 to 1562, which started due to heavy taxation. His organisation, the Noklimdang, started off as a small group, but grew as they began killing the rich and giving food to the poor. The group of thieves eventually grew to a few hundred. In addition, the group had a wooden castle built.^[1] He was also known by other names such as Im Geo-jeong (임거정; 林巨正) and Im Geo-jil-jeong (임거질정; 林巨叱正). Along with Hong Gil-dong and Jang Gil-san, he is sometimes referred to as one of the three great thieves of Joseon, and also considered as one of the four great thieves including Jeon Woo-chi.

Biography

Im was born to a butcher of Baekjeong status from Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, but the exact family clan is unknown. It is estimated that there was a nobleman with the surname Im (임; 林) among his ancestors, but it is not accurate.

According to a local legend in Yangju County, Junae, his father was a butcher, so he was treated condescendingly by the villagers and was not even allowed to drink water from the local well. So it was said that Im Kkeok-jeong went to Mt. Bulgok, Yangju, a little far from his house, and drank the flowing water. According to one theory, he became a bandit after his father was murdered by a provincial governor, but the exact reason why he became a thief is unknown. On the other hand, Hong Gil-dong, who is comparable to him, was active two generations before him, Jeon Woo-chi was a contemporary of him, and Jang Gil-san was active around the time of King Sukjong.

During the reigns of King Jungjong and King Myeongjong, he was widely active in Yangju and Cheorwon, Bongsan County and Haeju in Hwanghae Province, and Guwolsan. When the public sentiment became bitter due to political confusion and corruption of officials, he rallied the disgruntled elements and plundered private houses, but the servants and the people did not help. Starting in 1559 (the 14th year of King Myeongjong), they set mountains such as Mt. Guwol in Hwanghae Province as their hiding places, raided government offices in Hwanghae Province and Gyeonggi Province, killed officials, robbed warehouses of government offices, stole grain and jewelry, and supplied grain to the poor. In Hwanghae Province, Jangyeon County, Ongjin County, and Pungcheon County all tried to subdue them, but the people resisted or informed them in advance, so they were able to avoid it.

Generals of the Joseon dynasty at the time, such as Yi Eok-geun, Nam Chi-geun, and Lee Heum-rye, the governor of Kaesong, tried to arrest him, but he repeatedly escaped without being arrested. While the power gradually declined from 1560 (15th year of King Myeongjong), in the first month of the lunar calendar in 1562 (17th year of King Myeongjong), due to a large-scale subjugation operation by the government forces, he withdrew to Mt. Guwol and fought from there. He later died on same year.

Legacy

Im Kkokjong became an inspiration for the fictional character of Hong Gildong,^[2] subject of Hong Gildong jeon, often considered the first Korean novel.

Popular culture

Literature

• Im Kkokjong - novel by the North Korean writer Hong Myong-Hui^[3][4][5]

Film and television

• Portrayed by Cheong Hung-chae in the 1996 SBS TV series Im Kkokjong.
• Portrayed by Kwon Hyun-sang in the 2013 KBS2 TV series The Fugitive of Joseon.
• Portrayed by Song Won-seok in the 2019 TV Chosun TV series Joseon Survival Period.

Notes

1. In the lunar calendar, Im died on 3 January 1562^{[citation needed]}

References

1. Yi Tae-jin The dynamics of Confucianism and modernization in Korean history East Asia Program, Cornell University, 2007 p44, p113 "In Choson, tax rebellions (chongnan), most notably that of Im Kkok-chong (?–1562 ), broke out all over the country"
2. (in Polish) Joanna Rurarz (2009). Historia Korei. Dialog. ISBN 978-83-89899-28-6. P.237
3. Kenneth M. Wells South Korea's minjung movement: the culture and politics of dissidence University of Hawaii at Manoa. Center for Korean Studies - 1995 p184 "Of course, as a long novel, Im Kkokjong has a structure and continuity of plot that is absent in Ten Thousand Lives and possesses, besides, those unique strengths and aesthetic virtues of Hong which Ko Un lacks."
4. Miller, Perry (2011). "Illusive Utopia: Theater, Film, and Everyday Performance in North Korea (review)". Asian Theatre Journal. 28 (2): 605–609. doi:10.1353/atj.2011.0038. JSTOR 41306525. S2CID 161469329. Gale A265103399 Project MUSE 449811 ProQuest 884631407.
5. SH Kim A costume study on the basis of descriptions in the novel Im Kkeok Jeong - International Journal of Costume, 2008 한국복식학회.