SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The 1728 Musin Rebellion and the primary was the most serious military challenge to King Yŏngjo’s rule and the rebels gained widespread popular support. This article analyses the scholarly understandings of the rebellion, investigates important primary sources available to researchers and identifies important unanswered questions about the rebellion. Most scholars have understood the rebel attempt to overthrow King Yŏngjo’s government using the systems/value-consensus approach to rebellion. Such explanations leave unanswered key questions concerning the rebel failure, the fratricidal character of the rebellion and the reason for the initiation of violence. There are many official and unofficial sources available, but the development of strategies to deal with the problems of truncated sources, factional bias and the reliability of rebel testimony remain unanswered.