Periodic drought and floods have alternately stricken the rich rice-producing areas of Korea, causing great famines.

Additionally, the Joseon rulers have hiked the taxes on farm crops and forced the starving peasants to perform more free labor.

As a consequence, anti-government and anti-landlord sentiment boils over into a violent uprising when Hong Gyeong-rae, an impoverished scholar-official, leads the peasants in the north in Pyeongyan Province into an armed rebellion and occupies the region for several months.

The Seoul government dispatches an army.