Son Byong-hi

Son Byong-hi was a Korean religious leader and independence activist. He was born in Cheongju, in Chungcheong province, as the illegitimate son of a low-echelon government official. He grew up in poverty and suffered discrimination. He joined Donghak, an indigenous religious movement that combined elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and folk religion, and advocated for social justice and national sovereignty. He became the third leader of Donghak after the founder, Choe Je-u, and the second leader, Choe Si-hyeong, were both executed by the government. He led the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894, which was a massive uprising against the corrupt and oppressive regime and the foreign intervention by China and Japan. He was captured and sentenced to death, but was pardoned by the king. He fled to Japan in 1901, where he studied modern western ways and reformed Donghak. He renamed it as Cheondogyo, meaning Religion of the Heavenly Way, and emphasized the concept of God's eminence in humankind. He also distanced himself from the Japanese influence and supported the Korean independence movement. He was one of the main organizers of the March 1st Movement in 1919, which was a nationwide demonstration for Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. He died in Tokyo in 1922 from heart failure. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Korean history and culture.