Choe Jeu

Choe Je-u (1824-1864) was a religious thinker of the late Joseon period and the founder and first leader of Donghak ("Eastern Learning"), which he established in 1860. He taught the doctrine of sicheonju, the idea that the divine dwells within every person, offering a new faith and a message of equality amid the social turmoil of his time. The government, however, condemned his teachings as deceiving the world and misleading the people, and had him executed in 1864. Donghak went on to shape major religious and social movements in modern Korea.