Hong Gyeong-nae led a rebellion because the north was getting treated like trash for centuries

Northern Koreans (Pyeongan province) were systematically excluded from government positions for CENTURIES. Didn't matter how talented you were — if you were from the north, no career for you. Hong Gyeong-nae had enough. In 1811, he organized a full-scale rebellion with farmers, merchants, and disgruntled scholars. They actually captured several cities and held the fortress of Jeongju for months. The government eventually crushed the rebellion by flooding the fortress. Hong died fighting. But the underlying problem — regional discrimination — wasn't addressed for another hundred years. He was right about everything and it still didn't matter.