Records of 2 Korean Revolutions Listed by UNESCO

Archival records of two grassroots revolutions in Korea that played a role in the eventual democratization of the country were included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register on Thursday.

They are the Donghak Peasant Revolution, an armed rebellion led by peasants and the Confucian-based pantheistic religion's followers against the Chosun Dynasty in 1894; and the April 19 Revolution, a student-led democratization movement in 1960 that led to the ouster of strongman Syngman Rhee.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said the April 19 Revolution "was the first-ever successful nonviolent people's revolution that happened in a Third World country and influenced student movements around the world, whose importance in world history has been recognized."

"The records of the Donghak Peasant Revolution recall the spirit of freedom, equality and human rights spearheaded by ordinary people" against corruption among the upper class and foreign invasion, it added.

Korea now has 18 sets of records on the UNESCO list.