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His ''curriculum vitae'' earned him the position of Military District Governor of Kesang County in 1876. From here, Ripbam - publicly known as Lord-Governor Ki - periodically coordinated with anti-government forces and was known for hosting regional rebel conferences. His father's position in Confucian circles and his family's influence in the capital shielded him from any thorough investigations. With the help of his late mother's Andong Kwan clan, he orchestrated plans to transport persecuted persons to the Jangdong, and then on to Russia.
In 1881, the Mayor of Iksan began forcibly shutting down schools and selectively enslaving pro-Silhak peasants who failed to meet the tax deadline. Ripbam's father, Lord Ki Tsjangdjin, gathered 83 scholars from all over the country in front of Kjangbak Palace to implore the King to end persecutions, abolish slavery, and reannex Poesjan from the Dutch. To support his father, Ripbam dispatched a contingent of 225 soldiers to the capital. This resulted in the Oeitongbang Incident [의통방사건], where 21 people died and 13 buildings were set ablaze in and around the capitol. Ripbam's father, Lord Ki Tsjangdjin, passed away due to a heart attack during the Incident.
The entire Kjanggi region remained insufferably suspenseful for the next two years until the 1883 Gyemi Coup. The Coup began in the Insa Locale, where the rebels assassinated four Tsjosan officials within an hour. Ripbam arrived in Hansjang the day after the Coup began with 500 soldiers, fighting government forces. Soon, a Dutch Reformed church in Jongsan District was set ablaze, leading to an extremely destructive conflagration. Eventually, on the 17th of June - twelve days since the Coup began and with over 1,000 casualties - Ripbam's forces imprisoned the King and executed the Left and Chief State Councillors.
A week later, Ripbam was a leading candidate for the new King. He was challenged by candidates from the Andong Kim, Soenhoeng Ahn, and other clans. Using his connections, he hired mercenaries from [[Tauland]] and allied with several key families in return for discreet favours. Ripbam's Ki clan and their allies commit acts of violence across the nation, at one time even executing the wife and children of an ultraconservative governor. Nakatomi Hidehasa, a Japanese accountant and translator in Corea at the time, described the Ki clan's atrocities as 'tragedy framed by justice' and 'the novel Jansangun dreamed of writing'.
Eleven days before Tsjusak, Ripbam decisively declared himself King of Corea, the formation of the [[House of Ki]], and the establishment of the [[Corea|state of Sjakwang]]. 326 people were exiled, 64 sentenced to death, and 1,102 pardoned on the day of the declaration. Ripbam declared himself King Tedjo and began his coronation on the 26th of October, the same day as King Yangdjo's. Shortly before his coronation, King Tedjo divorced his estranged wife Lady Pak Mjanghwa and took on two consorts the next day.
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