Korean Empire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Korean Empire | |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul: | 대한제국 |
| Hanja: | 大韓帝國 |
| Revised Romanization: | Daehan Jeguk |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Taehan Cheguk |
The Korean Empire is a title for dynastic Korea from the Gwangmu Restoration of 1897 until Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910. The new title was specifically assigned to the state ruled by the Joseon Dynasty over for the past 500 years to indicate the revival of the Samhan confederacies of the Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea, in the tradition of naming new states after historic states (Gubon Sincham, 舊本新參, 구본신참). It also indicated the restoration of complete Korean sovereignty from its tributary relationship with Qing Dynasty China and continued major modernization reforms.
In 1897, King Gojong returned to Gyeongun Palace from his refuge at the Russian consulate and proclaimed the new entity. It oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, real property laws, education system, and various industries.
[edit] Background
In 1894, the Empire of Japan emerged victorious in the Sino-Japanese War against the Qing Dynasty of China, bringing it to the forefront of international politics in the Far East, which quickly pitted it against the expanding Russian Empire that, along with Japan, was competing for influence in the region. The Sino-Japanese War also marked the rapid decline of any power the Joseon Dynasty of Korea had managed to hold against foreign interference, as the battles of the conflict itself had been held on Korean soil and the surrounding seas. With its newfound preeminence over waning China, Japan had Japanese delegates negotiate the Treaty of Shimonoseki with the Qing emissaries, through which Japan wrested control over the Liaodong Peninsula from China (a move designed to prevent the southern expansion of Japan new rival in Russia), and, more importantly to Korea, scrapped the centuries-old tributary relationship between Joseon and the mainland. However, Russia realized this agreement as an act against its interests in northeastern China and eventually brought France and Germany to its side in saying that the Liaodong Peninsula should be repatriated to China.
At the time, Japan had no power to resist such foreign pressure, especially by nations that it considered far more advanced and sought to emulate, and as such relinquished its claim to the Liaodong Peninsula. With the success of the three-country intervention, Russia emerged as another major power in East Asia, replacing the Qing Dynasty as the country that the many government officials in the Joseon court advocated close ties to prevent more Japanese meddling in Korean politics. Queen Min (the later Empress Myeongseong), the consort of King Gojong, also realized this change and recognized it by formally extablishing closer diplomatic relations with Russia to counter Japan.
Queen Min began to emerge as a key figure in higher-level Korean resistance to Japanese influence. Japan, seeing its designs dangered by the queen, quickly replaced its ambassador to Korea, Inoue Kaoru, with Miura Goro, a diplomat with a background in the Japanese military. It is widely believed that he orchestrated the assassination of Queen Min on October 8, 1895 at her residence at Gyeongbok Palace, nearby the Geoncheon Palace, the official sleeping quarters of the king within Gyeongbok Palace.
[edit] Proclamation of Empire
With the death of his wife, the distraught King Gojong sought refuge and was granted it at the Russian consulate in 1896. During the time from Queen Min's death to the king's return from Russian protection, Korea underwent another major upheaval both at home and abroad. In 1895, new laws passed by pro-Japanese progressives in the royal cabinet forced through long-desired reforms aimed at revamping Korea's antiquidated society. Their policies resulted in the official discarding of the lunar calendar in favor of the modern Gregorian solar calendar, the cutting of traditional male Korean hair buns, the official designation of era names independent of the Chinese tradition, and the creation of a postal service. In 1896, with the sudden absence of Gojong, Russia quickly took the opportunity to actively interfere in domestic Korean politics, leading to the contraction of the pro-Japanese faction's influence. This years also marked the beginning of the economic exploitation of Korean natural resources by mining and timber corporations from Russia, the United States, and Japan.
Meanwhile, the new reforms aimed at modernizing Korean society soon attracted controversy within Korea. Anti-Japanese sentiment, which had already become entrenched in the minds of commoners and aristocrats alike during the 16th century Japanese invasion of Korea, became pervasive in the royal court and upper echelons of society following the Gangwha Treaty of 1876 and soon extended explosively to most Koreans following perceived Japanese meddling in court politics and the assassination of Empress Myeongseong. However, the new reforms pushed forward by the pro-Japanese progressives, the most controversial of which was the mandatory cutting of male hair buns (it was a tradition in Korea and formerly Japan to not cut one's hair for life, mostly out of respect for Confucian ideals), ignited further resentment and discontent. This led to the uprising of the Eulmi temporary armies aimed at avenging the assassination of Empress Myeongseong.
In 1896, Seo Jae-pil, a naturalized citizen of the United States and the man behind the Doklib Sinmun (독립 신문), or the Independent Newspaper, formed the so-called Independence Association (독립 협회) in cooperation with progressives who desired autonomy from Japan. The Independence Association, once limited as an organized movement that was led by and included only government officials, soon expanded to include civilians from all classes. The Indpendence Association stressed the need for a reform-oriented government policy that would eventually lead to full independence. The association also regularly held conferences to strengthen national morale and collected money to continue the issuance of regular editions of the Independent Newspaper, and, more significantly, demolish the Yeongeunmun that had received Chinese envoys from the west of the Yellow Sea to construct the Doklibmun, or Independence Gate, at that very site.
In 1897, King Gojong, yielding to rising pressure from both overseas and the demands of the Independence Association-led public opinion, returned to Gyeonungung (modern-day Deoksugung). There, he proclaimed the founding of the Empire of Korea, officially redesignated the national title as such, and declared the new era name Gwangmu (Hanja: 光武, Hangul: 광무), effectively severing usage of the Qing Chinese tradition Korea had adhered to since the fall of the Ming Dynasty and turning King Gojong into the Gwangmu Emperor, the first imperial head of state and hereditary sovereign of the Empire of Korea. This marked the complete end of the old world order and traditional Chinese tributary system in the Far East, where the status of empire meant independence from Qing dynasty China as with all of its predecessors, and also, at least nominally, implemented the "full and complete" independence of Korea as recognized in 1895. However, the empire was in fact weak and proved to be helpless in fending off foreign influence, and eventually the Gwangmu Emperor was forced to abdicate in 1907 in favor of his son, King Sunjong, who became the Yungheui Emperor (the second and last emperor of the Empire of Korea), after his attempt to send delgates to Hague Peace Conference in violation of the arbitrarily implemented Eulsa Treaty, through which Korea lost control over its foreign relations to Japan and became protectorate of Japan.
In 1910, the Empire of Korea was annexed by Japan with the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty, beginning a 35-year period of Japanese rule.
Prior to the Korean Empire, several dynastic rulers of Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje, Balhae and Goryeo claimed right to imperial status and used imperial titles at one time or another.
