Yi In-jwa's Rebellion (), also known as the Musin Rebellion (), after The name of the year in which it occurred in the sexagenary calendar, was an attempted coup d'état in March 1728 by a coalition of the radical faction of the Namin and the excluded Soron faction. After the death of King Gyeongjong and the ascension of King Yeongjo to the throne, the position of the Noron faction was restored, and Soron, who had instigated the rebellion under the pretext of protecting King Gyeongjong, was punished and excluded from power. Shortly after ascending to the throne, Yeongjo pursued a policy of equal recruitment, believing that factional strife was detrimental to the country's development. In response, the radical faction of the Soron group justified their rebellion by raising suspicions about the circumstances of King Gyeongjong's death and claiming that King Yeongjo was not the legitimate heir of King Sukjong, thereby securing their power. The rebellion began on March 15 when Yi In-jwa captured Cheongju Castle. The rebel forces, marching toward Hanyang (present-day Seoul), were defeated by the royal army, and the support from the Yeong and Honam regions was also suppressed by local forces, leading to the suppression of the rebellion.
Names The names for this rebellion was also known as the Noksaek Pyroan Rebellion or the Wushinran.
Background The Joseon Dynasty was in a socially chaotic situation. The common people were facing difficulties due to various tax burdens and economic exploitation by the landlord class. In particular, the burden related to military service was significant. At that time, instead of serving in the military, the common people had to pay a military fabric tax called "gunpo." However, during the process of collecting the military fabric tax, there were cases where it was collected even from the elderly, young children, and even deceased individuals. As a result, the common people who couldn't afford the military fabric tax became wandering outcasts, some of whom formed bandit groups and attacked government offices and landlords. During that time, the bandit group in Jeongeup, Jeolla Province, consisted of over 100 members carrying spears and cannons, and their leader wore armor and rode a horse, indicating a considerable scale and command structure. They also formed alliances with merchants, monks, and baekjeong to expand their influence and strengthen their safety and base. Furthermore, there were frequent incidents of resistance against the authorities. In Yeongdeok, Gyeongsang Province, there were incidents that threatened local officials and tax collectors, and in Gwangju, Jeolla Province, there were uprisings.
The political situation in the central government was also unstable. The Noron faction, following the incident known as "Jeongyudokdae," put King Gyeongjong on the throne and then supported Crown Prince Yeongjo as the next successor. By using Queen Dowager's statement, "The bloodline of King Hyojong and the flesh and blood of the previous kings belong only to the Crown Prince and the successor," they succeeded in appointing Crown Prince Yeongjo as the successor while dispelling suspicions that the Noron faction intended to abolish the Crown Prince.
In response to the movements of the Noron faction, figures such as Nam Guman and Choi Seok-jeong had already retired, and the Soron faction, whose influence had weakened, failed to respond properly, including Park Se-chae's literati moving to the Noron faction. The Namin faction also had a weakened influence due to the events of Gyeongsin Hwangung, Gapsul Hwangung, and the Sin Saok affair. As a result, the Noron faction pushed for the appointment of the Crown Prince as a regent. However, there was strong opposition from the Soron faction and the Namin faction, and some factions within the Noron faction, such as Gwon Sang-yu and Park Chi-won, also sympathized with the opposition. As a result, the Noron faction eventually disappeared from the political stage through a series of incidents from 1721 (during the reign of King Gyeongjong) to 1722 (during the reign of King Gyeongjong).
Death of Gyeongjong During King Gyeongjong's reign, he suffered from severe illnesses beginning from his time as the crown prince. Due to concerns about the succession of the crown prince, Sukjong secretly entrusted the title of Prince Yeongin (延礽君: later known as King Yeongjo) to Yi Ye-myeong (李頤命) in the private meeting known as Jeongyudokdae (丁酉獨對) in 1717, which involved only Sukjong and Yi Ye-myeong.
Even during his final years, King Gyeongjong did not actively participate in state affairs, including the selection of his crown prince, and he struggled to handle national affairs properly during his reign. In response, the Noron faction expedited the enfeoffment of Prince Yeongin and the appointment of a regent based on the reason that King Gyeongjong had no heir and was plagued by illnesses.
In contrast, the Soron faction used the pretext of protecting King Gyeongjong to instigate the appointment of a regent. However, when King Gyeongjong died after only four years on the throne and Yeongjo succeeded to the throne, the Soron faction's pretext of the regency was criticized, and the Noron faction's position was restored.
However, when King Gyeongjong died in 1724 and King Yeongjo ascended to the throne, the situation rapidly changed. Shortly after his ascension, King Yeongjo released Min Jin-won (the older brother of Queen Inhyeon), who had been exiled due to the Sinimsa incident, despite opposition from the Noron faction. This became a turning point, and petitions criticizing figures such as Kim Il-gyeong, Yu Bong-hwi, and Choi Seok-hang, who were representative figures of the Soron faction, continued to be submitted. As a result, King Yeongjo banished Kim Il-gyeong and punished Mok Ho-ryong, who had caused the Sinimsa incident. In 1725 (during the reign of King Yeongjo), Min Jin-won, Jung Ho, and Yi Gwan-myeong, who belonged to the Noron faction, were appointed to high-ranking positions, and the Sinimsa incident was determined to be a false accusation, leading to the execution of those responsible for the false charges. Thus, the Noron faction secured a foothold in the central government.
Preparations When Yeongjo, supported by Noron, ascended to the throne, Soro's political standing became uncertain. Furthermore, with Yeongjo favoring figures from the Noron faction, Soro's anxiety only grew. In 1725 (the first year of Yeongjo's reign), when Kim Il-kyeong was removed, a faction of Soro finally formed the Musindang. Musindang was led by Park Pil-hyeon, Lee Yu-ik, and they recruited figures like Han Se-hong and Lee In-jwa from the Nam-in faction. They held negative views towards Noron and Yeongjo, believing that they had to remove Noron in order to regain political power.
Musindang advocated the illegitimacy of Yeongjo's succession to the throne and decided to support Lee Tan, the great-grandson of Crown Prince Sohyeon, as their candidate. They also established a strategy of "responding from the capital to disturbances in the frontier." This strategy took advantage of the unstable social situation at the time. These attempts relied on the roles of Lee In-jwa and Jeong Se-yun. Lee In-jwa, being from the Nam-in faction, faced difficulties in advancing his career in the government at the time. He planned the rebellion with close associates such as Park Pil-hyeon and recruited allies like Yi Ho in Anseong, Yi Il-jwa in Gwacheon, Jeong Hee-ryang in Geoje, and Min Won-bo in Chungju. They also made contact with prominent local figures in the Yeongnam region, utilizing their status as members of the Nam-in faction. Thus, Lee In-jwa played a mediating role between the Gyeonggi, Hoseo, and Yeongnam factions. Jeong Se-yun, on the other hand, formed the Nokrimdang in 1724 (the year of Yeongjo's accession) and formed an alliance with Na Sunghae in Naju, based on a foundation of 600-700 refugees. Musindang planned to make Nokrimdang their main force and entrusted its command to Lee In-jwa.
Under the pretext of raising suspicions about King Gyeongjong's death and claiming that Yeongjo was not King Sukjong's biological son, they aimed to depose Yeongjo and crown Prince Milpunggung Tan (密豐君坦: the great-grandson of Crown Prince Sohyeon) as king. This intention served to unite their followers, justify their rebellion, and also manipulate public sentiment. Starting from 1725 (1st year of Yeongjo's reign), Park Pil-hyeon and others based on the Dangun ideology selectively identified individuals in various regions who were considered sympathetic to the regent's power.
Obstacles During the preparations for the rebellion in the central and provincial regions, a problem occurred. While the central region was planning the rebellion for April, Yi In-jwa, Jeong Se-yun, and others in the provincial region had been gathering and mobilizing military forces in Yangseong and Jinwi in Gyeonggi Province since early March. The Muhwadang faction, in this way, was gradually escalating the rebellion, creating a certain time difference between the central and provincial regions. However, Musindang's rebellion plan faced obstacles when the Jeongmi Hwangguk (change of government) took place in 1727 (the third year of Yeongjo's reign), leading to the downfall of the Noron regime. As Musindang, which opposed Yeongjo and Noron, Yeongjo's appointment of some factions from Soro and Nam-in caused internal divisions. Consequently, the rebellion plan led by Park Pil-hyeon, Han Se-hong, and Lee Yu-ik was temporarily suspended.
While the central rebellion plan was put on hold, preparations for rebellion continued in the provinces, with Lee In-jwa and Jeong Se-yun at the center. Lee In-jwa, being strongly inclined towards anti-Noron sentiments among the Yeongnam faction, believed that the Yeongnam faction would actively participate once the rebellion was planned. Therefore, Andong and Sangju were entrusted to Jeong Hong-su, Geochang and Anum to Jeong Hee-ryang for rebellion preparations. Lee In-jwa himself was in charge of the Gyeonggi region. Meanwhile, Yi Ho and Jeong Se-yun prepared for rebellion in Honam. Yi Ho met with Na Soongdae in Naju through Namanchi and requested cooperation, stating that Taiin Hyungam Park Pil-hyeon and Pyeongan soldier Yi Saseong were also preparing for rebellion. Jeong Se-yun met with Seong Deuk-ha and Kim Su-jong in Buan and secured their pledge to join the rebellion. He also secretly prepared hundreds of arrows to send them to Nokrimdang.
Final Preparations As local preparations for rebellion progressed, movements resumed in the central government. The central leadership maintained close contact with Yi Saseong, who was serving as a Pyeongan soldier at the time, and they also prepared for rebellion with figures like Park Pil-hyeon, who was in Taiin. Particularly, Park Pil-hyeon, Lee Yu-ik (李有翼), and Shim Yu-hyeon, both members of Musindang felt threatened by the sudden death of King Gyeongjong and the potential loss of their political positions, planned to recruit the excluded Namin members and sought to eliminate Yeongjo and the Noron faction, trained soldiers and stole gunpowder in Damyang to transport it to Hanyang for the rebellion. Park Pil-hyeon also formed alliances with Song Ha in Gobu, Kim Su-jong in Buan, and Yang Ik-tae in Sunchang, and they circulated forged documents in Jeonju and Namwon, claiming that Yeongjo assassinated Gyeongjong.