Autumn Uprising of 1946

Lore & Background

The uprising was preceded by the Korean General Strike in September 1946, in which more than 250,000 workers participated. The strike was declared illegal by the US Military Government and strikers were attacked by police. On October 1, a protest by strikers in Daegu was fired on by police, killing railway worker Kim Yong-Tae. The following day thousands of protestors, including high school and college students, carried his body through the city streets despite police attempts to halt them. The strike then evolved into the more general Autumn Uprising.

The uprising started in Busan and eventually spread to Seoul, Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Chungcheongnam-do, and Jeollanam-do, ending in mid-November. Demands included better working conditions, higher wages, larger food rations, the right to organize, and the release of political prisoners. The US Military Government responded by mobilizing strikebreakers, police, right-wing youth groups, and U.S. troops and tanks following a declaration of martial law.

The defeat of the uprising is considered a turning point in establishing political control over Korea, as the people's committees and the National Council of Korean Labour Unions were weakened in the suppression. To the Americans, the Autumn Harvest Rebellion added new urgency to the effort to find some formula for unifying the two occupation zones of Korea under an elected government.

Reader's Guide

The Autumn Uprising of 1946 represents a significant challenge to the United States Army Military Government in Korea and a key moment in post-liberation Korean history. The uprising, which grew out of a general strike and was sparked by police killings of protesters, reflected widespread discontent with US policies, including rice rationing, police brutality, and the exclusion of people's committees from power. Some analysts say the uprising was a better indicator of public opinion than the October elections for the South Korean Interim Legislative Assembly organized by the US Military Government. The suppression of the uprising weakened leftist organizations and helped consolidate US-backed political control in South Korea. In 2010, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented findings identifying 60 victims whose families it suggested should receive compensation, and around 7,500 other people who suffered during the incident. Some victims were arrested and tortured, and police and extreme right-wing groups damaged or confiscated their homes and property. The families of victims had to endure the shame of being viewed as criminals.

Did You Know?

• The uprising is also called the Daegu Riot, Daegu Resistance Movement, or the Daegu October Incident.
• The uprising resulted in 92 policemen, 163 civil workers, 116 civilians, and 240 rioters killed.
• 2,609 people were arrested by police and military during the uprising.

Origins and Immediate Triggers

The Autumn Uprising did not emerge from a vacuum. In the months following liberation, South Korea's population under USAMGIK command suffered acute food shortages, particularly in Daegu, where a cholera outbreak exceeding 2,000 cases led authorities to seal off the city without providing adequate medical care. Crops and daily necessities could not reach residents, and rice became critically scarce. Compounding the misery, police officers who had served under the Japanese colonial administration continued to seize rice from farmers, provoking deep resentment. In May 1946, USAMGIK declared communist activities illegal and issued mass arrest orders for party officials, pushing the Communist Party of Korea under Pak Hon-yong toward what it called 'new tactics' of direct confrontation. The party and the National Council of Korean Labour Unions then organized a general strike beginning in September 1946, led by railroad and transportation workers in the Busan area. The strike spread nationwide, and on the evening of October 1, police opened fire on a hunger protest in front of Daegu City Hall, killing civilians Hwang Mal-Yong and Kim Jong-Tae. The crowd's fury at the shootings ignited the broader uprising.

Scope, Participants, and Demands

What began as a localized labor action in Busan rapidly expanded into a multi-provincial movement. By late October, the uprising had reached Seoul, Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Chungcheongnam-do, and Jeollanam-do, persisting until mid-November. Participants were not limited to factory and railroad workers; high school and college students joined the demonstrations, as seen when thousands carried the body of slain railway worker Kim Yong-Tae through Daegu's streets on October 2 despite police attempts to stop them. The protesters' grievances were concrete and economic: they demanded improved working conditions, higher wages, larger food rations, the legal right to organize labor unions, and the release of political prisoners held by the military government. The uprising also carried a political dimension, as many participants favored restoring authority to the local people's committees that had formed the People's Republic of Korea. Some analysts have argued that the scale and intensity of the uprising offered a more honest reading of popular sentiment than the concurrent October elections for the South Korean Interim Legislative Assembly organized by USAMGIK.

Suppression and Human Cost

The US Military Government under General John R. Hodge responded with overwhelming force. After declaring martial law, it mobilized strikebreakers, national police, and right-wing youth groups, backed by American troops and tanks. The combined force succeeded in crushing the uprising, but at a significant human cost. Official tallies recorded the deaths of 92 policemen, 163 civil workers, 116 civilians, and 240 rioters. Beyond the fatalities, police and military authorities arrested 2,609 individuals. The suppression carried a deliberate political objective: it weakened the people's committees and the National Council of Korean Labour Unions, both of which had been central to organizing resistance. For the American command, the defeat of what some called the 'Autumn Harvest Rebellion' sharpened the urgency of devising a formula for unifying the two occupation zones under an elected government. The crackdown also left a trail of property damage and confiscation, as police and extreme right-wing groups targeted the homes of those identified as participants, compounding material loss with lasting social stigma.

Legacy and Historical Reckoning

The event remains contested in its very naming. Advocates of the uprising call it the October Uprising; critics label it the Yeongnam riots or October riots; those asserting the Communist Party of Korea's initiative use the term October riot; and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Korea settled on the neutral designation 'Daegu October Incident.' In 2010, that commission published its findings, identifying 60 specific victims whose families it recommended the government compensate, and acknowledging approximately 7,500 additional people who suffered during the incident. Many victims had been arrested, tortured, and had their homes damaged or confiscated by police and right-wing groups. Their families endured decades of social shame, being treated as criminals in the eyes of the community. The uprising's defeat is widely regarded as a turning point in establishing political control over South Korea, as it permanently diminished the power of grassroots labor and committee structures. For the American occupation authorities, it underscored the need to find a path toward a unified, elected Korean government rather than prolonged military administration.