Person

Choe Je-u

1824–1864 · 19th century

Choe Je-u was a Korean religious teacher from Gyeongju who founded the Donghak ('Eastern Learning') movement in 1860. After a religious experience he preached a faith drawing on Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist and folk traditions, offered as a Korean answer to the 'Western Learning' of Catholicism. His teaching spread among peasants, and the government had him executed in Daegu in 1864 for heresy, but his followers carried on the movement.

Choe Je-u
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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Choe Je-u. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/choe-je-u
MLA
“Choe Je-u.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/choe-je-u. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Choe Je-u.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/choe-je-u.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Choe Je-u’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/choe-je-u (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻