Kapsin Coup – First Bourgeois Reform in Korea

In the modern times, the resourceful Korean nation achieved progressive development of society by staging bourgeois reforms like the Kapsin Coup and Kabo Reform. Of course, these reforms were buried in the whirlwind of history, without bearing fruit. However, correctly analyzing and assessing the history of Kapsin Coup and Kabo Reform, which left a great trace in the modern history of Korea, posed an important issue in clarifying the law-governed stages of the development of Korea's modern history.

In the past, the Japanese imperialists distorted the progressive nature of the coup and reform, describing them as events staged by pro-Japanese elements under their manipulation, and claimed that there had been no bourgeois reform which was independently promoted by Koreans in the modern history of Korea. One of the examples is that the Kapsin Coup was described as a court coup staged by pro-Japanese elements under the manipulation of Japan and Kim Ok Gyun, the leader of the coup, was defined as a pro-Japanese element.

Chairman Kim Jong Il said:

"Occasioned by the Kapsin Coup, the bourgeois reform movement in our country entered a new stage of development."

At the March Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Juche 47 (1958) President Kim Il Sung presented a new view about Kim Ok Gyun that he was not a pro-Japanese element but a man who led the bourgeois reform movement aimed at reviving the country.

In the period when he was attending Kim Il Sung University, Chairman Kim Jong Il, on the basis of the instructions of President Kim Il Sung, studied in depth the modern history of Korea, in particular the history of Kapsin Coup and Kabo Reform, and thus performed an immortal ideological and theoretical exploit of scientifically proving that the modern history of Korea, though passing through twists and turns, advanced steadily along the law-governed course of its development.

In his talk titled, On Correctly Assessing the Kapsin Coup, to the students of Kim Il Sung University on May 6, Juche 52 (1963), he clarified the nature of the coup on the basis of historical facts and scientific analysis of the issues such as the relationship between the Enlightenment Group and Japan at the time of the coup and those who staged the coup.

In the talk he clarified the unreasonableness of all the distorted views and clarified the issues fundamental in grasping the true picture of the coup.

Stressing that it was not a court coup staged by pro-Japanese elements but the first bourgeois reform in the history of Korea carried out by the Enlightenment Group for modernization of the country, he clarified the reason for it.

He went on to explain the relations between the Enlightenment Group and Japan at the time of the coup, including the main chain in the whole link of the relations, and said:

"At the time of the Kapsin Coup the Enlightenment Group had some connections with the Japanese. It is true that prior to the coup, there were contacts with the Japanese to discuss the plan and during the coup Japanese soldiers stood guard outside the royal palace. Previously, some people approached these facts superficially, claiming that Kim Ok Gyun was pro-Japanese and the Kapsin Coup was launched by pro-Japanese figures. We should abandon such a superficial approach to the relationship between the Enlightenment Group and Japan, and get to the heart of the matter. In other words, we should ascertain why the Enlightenment Group brought Japanese soldiers into the coup and what attitude it adopted in dealing with them."

He clearly indicated the fundamental link in the whole chain of correctly understanding the relations between the Enlightenment Group and Japan with his far-sighted wisdom. He never stopped at this but gave a detailed analysis of the relations between the Enlightenment Group and Japan.

He explained the purpose of the Enlightenment Group in introducing the Japanese army into staging the coup, and then clarified in detail its attitude in establishing relations with Japan. After conducting this comprehensive analysis of the relations between the Enlightenment Group and Japan, he made the following conclusion:

"All the facts show that the Enlightenment Group masterminded the Kapsin Coup, using the Japanese army as a means to their end. Branding Kim Ok Gyun as pro-Japanese and the Kapsin Coup as an event staged by the Japanese does not square with historical facts."

Listening to his clear and easy-to-understand explanation of the complicated historical facts, the students deeply admired his extraordinary wisdom and profound analytical ability.

Saying that the Kapsin Coup was not simply a dispute for the throne, but an attempt to initiate bourgeois reform for the sake of the modernization of the country, he concluded that the political programme of the government established by the Enlightenment Group was a progressive and patriotic bourgeois programme aimed at modernizing the country, and therefore that the coup was a bourgeois reform.

Thanks to his profound analysis, it became clearer that the Kapsin Coup was the first bourgeois reform in the history of Korea that reflected the law of development of modern history.