The Gobu Revolt was not a spontaneous or impulsive event but a planned movement with clear objectives initiated by the Donghak local leaders, including Jeon Bong-jun, as part of the anti-feudal and anti-foreign movement that emerged mainly among the Donghak peasant farmers after the Boeun Assembly in March 1893.

Therefore, the imposition of taxes and exploitation by officials dispatched from the central government, as well as the excessive levies and exactions, were more severe in Jeolla Province than in any other region, burdening the peasants with double or triple the hardships.

Situated along the Dongjin River [ko] and connecting the fertile plains of Gimje and Mankyeong, Gobu was a granary encompassing 28 villages in the surrounding area.

Particularly, Julp'o on the western side of Gobu, located about 20 ri away, was the center of tax collection and rice transportation along with Bupyeong's Bubseongpo.

Consequently, Gobu County had a higher possibility of exploitation than any other region, and the actual plundering by the ruling class was severe.

[3] In 1892, Jo Byeong-gap [ko], who had gained a notorious reputation for his corrupt practices while serving as a local official in various regions, was appointed as the magistrate of Gobu County.

Kim Chang-seok, as a Honam Juntian Commissioner, promised tax exemption for several years to the peasants who reclaimed fallow lands.

However, as soon as the harvest season arrived, he started collecting taxes just like the previous year, even if the peasants had left the land fallow.

It was no coincidence that the peasants from the northern rural areas, which had suffered greatly from natural disasters, actively participated in the uprising.

[3] On the early morning of January 11, 1894, more than a thousand uprising peasants gathered at the Malmok Market and proclaimed Jeon Bong-jun as their leader.

It was said that "the camp was calm and the orders were clear, unlike the typical 'stone-flag army' (a term used in Japan to describe uprisings of peasants using stones as weapons)."

Despite achieving the demands they had been seeking, the uprising did not dissolve and continued for a long time in an organized manner precisely because there was a leader.

[8] After dealing with the affairs of the government office for about a week, they moved their main forces to Mahangjang and left some troops in the township.

[8] The fact that the neighboring villages did not respond also played a significant role in the failure of the Gobu Rebellion to unfold as intended by Jeon Bong-jun.

When they occupied government warehouses and divided the stored grains among themselves, the common people stated, "We will return now that our demands have been met."

Jeon Bong-jun could not remain uninvolved when the chaos erupted, but due to the lack of preparation, conflicts arose between the leadership and the common people, and there was no response from neighboring villages.

Jeon Bong-jun threatened or persuaded the common people who wanted to disband, saying, "Since you have consumed official rice, you are guilty of a capital offense.

[8] To resolve this conceptual gap between the leadership and the common people, Jeon Bong-jun utilized intermediate bodies such as village leaders and local officials.

In Li Bok-yong's "Record of Southern Travel," it is described that "at first, the Gobu peasants gathered outside the government office to express their grievances.

Jeon Bong-jun had a long-standing plan called the "Sasal Tongmun" to achieve the great task of "assisting the world and comforting the people."