Manjeok or Manjǒk (; ?–1198) was enslaved by

Choe Chung-heon Choe Chung-heon (1149 – 29 October 1219) was a military ruler of Korea during the Goryeo period. Choe's father was a Grand General in the Goryeo military, hence precipitating his own entry into the military. Choe witnessed military men become ...

, a powerful military dictator in the Goryeo dynasty era, and was executed for conspiring to rebel. During the reign of King Uijong, the government relaxed the restrictions toward slaves and eunuchs by allowing them to take low offices, which caused some governmental irregularities. In the reign of King Myeongjong also saw the rise of the status of slaves. In 1197, Choe Chung-heon forced Myeongjong to abdicate, put King Sinjong on the throne, and became a military ruler with ''de facto'' control. During his government, Choe Chung-heon was less tolerant toward slaves, and several incidents involving slaves occurred in different places in Goryeo. Manjeok and some other slaves plotted a rebellion in 1198 against their masters in

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

, the capital of Goryeo. A speech of his that questioned inequality was recorded in the history book

Goryeosa The ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is the main surviving historical record of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. It was composed nearly a century after the fall of Goryeo, during the reign of King Sejong, undergoing repeated revisions between ...

(고려사; 高麗史). Another slave revealed the plot to his own master, and the plot failed. Manjǒk and many other slaves were executed.http://www.nykoredu.org/upload/files/Topics%20of%20Korean%20History-English-2.pdf p. 6.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Yoon Seung-won in the 2003-2004 KBS TV series ''

Age of Warriors ''Age of Warriors'' () is a South Korean historical television series. It aired on KBS1 from February 8, 2003, to August 15, 2004, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:45 ( KST) for 158 episodes. The series is set during the military rule over Goryeo ...

''. * Manjeok is the father of the protagonist in the Korean manhwa Mujang.

References

1198 deaths Year of birth unknown Rebel slaves Korean slaves Ganghwa Man clan 12th-century Korean people Medieval slaves Medieval rebels {{Korea-bio-stub