Jinju National Museum

To commemorate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Hyeongpyeongsa (Equity Society), the Jinju National Museum of Korea is pleased to present the special exhibition The Social Equality Movement by the People and for the People. The Hyeongpyeong Movement, or the Social Equality Movement, was a human rights movement that sought to eliminate discrimination against butchers, who are called baekjeong in Korean. It is considered the first human rights campaign in Korea.

 Discrimination that remains as a social practice can only be eliminated not only through legal reform but also through constant challenges and conscious efforts to eliminate it. In that sense, the Social Equality Movement that took on the social discrimination faced by baekjeong and sought to improve their social status is a proud social legacy of our culture.

 The Jinju National Museum has organized this special exhibition on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Hyeongpyeongsa, which was inaugurated on April 25, 1923. Despite the lack of information related to the movement, the exhibition has assembled new materials that illustrate conditions at the time.

 We hope that this exhibition will offer a chance to enhance your understanding of the Hyeongpyeong Movement through the new materials presented here. We further hope that this exhibition will serve as an opportunity to raise awareness of the various forms of discrimination that still remain today.