The 1728 Musin Rebellion was a failed coup by excluded Korean political factions against King Yeongjo, exposing deep factional divisions in Joseon politics.
Key Facts
- Start date
- March 15, 1728
- First action
- Capture of Cheongju Castle by Yi In-jwa
- Target
- Hanyang (present-day Seoul)
- Rebel factions
- Radical Namin and excluded Soron faction
- Calendar name
- Musin year (sexagenary calendar)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the death of King Gyeongjong and the accession of King Yeongjo, the Noron faction regained dominance while the Soron faction was punished and excluded from power. Radical Soron members, resentful of their exclusion, questioned the legitimacy of Yeongjo's succession and raised suspicions about Gyeongjong's death to justify armed resistance.
On March 15, 1728, Yi In-jwa led rebel forces in seizing Cheongju Castle, initiating an attempted coup. The rebels marched toward Hanyang but were met by royal army forces. Simultaneously, anticipated support from the Yeong and Honam regions failed to materialize, as local forces suppressed those uprisings independently.
The rebellion was swiftly crushed by the royal army and local loyalist forces. Its failure further consolidated King Yeongjo's authority and discredited the radical Soron and Namin factions. The episode reinforced Yeongjo's policy of equal recruitment across factions, intended to reduce the destructive impact of partisan politics on governance.