Gojong of Korea

Gojong was the penultimate Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 1907, first as the last king of Joseon, and then as the first Emperor of the Korean Empire from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is also known as the Gwangmu Emperor, and was born Yi Myeongbok. Gojong took the throne in 1863 when King Cheoljong died without an heir. His mother Sunmok Budaebuin and father Heungseon Daewongun acted as regents until he reached the age of majority, although they continued holding power until 1874. Until then, Korea had been under policies of strict isolationism. By contrast, Japan had been rapidly modernizing under the Meiji Restoration. In 1876, Japan forcefully opened Korea and began a decades-long process of moving the peninsula into its own sphere of influence. For the following few decades, Korea was highly unstable, and subjected to a number of foreign encroachments. When Gojong reached twenty-one years old, he took over the throne and married Min Jayoung, who later became Empress Myeongseong. She played an active role in politics until her assassination by Japanese agents in 1895. Gojong, with the influence of Queen Min, adopted more of an open-door foreign policy than his father had maintained. He signed a Treaty of Amity and Trade with the United States in 1882, hoping to gain protection from the imperial designs of neighbors Japan, China and Russia. In 1894, the Donghak Peasant Revolution broke out in Korea, and was suppressed by the Joseon government with the help of Japanese troops. This led to the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, which ended with the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. The treaty recognized Japan's sphere of influence over Korea and ceded Taiwan and other territories to Japan. Gojong was outraged by the treaty and sought to reform his country and resist Japanese domination. He declared himself the Emperor of the Korean Empire in 1897, and initiated the Gabo Reform, a series of political, economic and social reforms aimed at modernizing and strengthening Korea. However, Gojong's efforts were hampered by the increasing Japanese interference and aggression. In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War broke out, and Japan forced Korea to sign the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1904, which gave Japan the right to control Korea's foreign affairs and military. In 1905, Japan imposed the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, which made Korea a protectorate of Japan and stripped Gojong of his imperial powers. In 1907, Japan forced Gojong to abdicate in favor of his son, Sunjong, who became the last emperor of Korea. Gojong was confined to the Deoksu Palace, where he died in 1919, allegedly poisoned by Japanese agents. He was buried in the Hongneung royal tomb in Seoul. Gojong was a visionary leader who tried to reform and modernize Korea in the face of foreign threats. He is remembered as a symbol of Korean resistance and nationalism, and a tragic victim of Japanese imperialism.