Empress Myeongseong

Empress Myeongseong was the official wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. She was also known as Queen Min or Empress Min. She was born in 1851 to the noble Yeoheung Min clan, which had a history of producing queens for the Joseon Dynasty. She married Gojong in 1866, when they were both 15 years old. She was an intelligent and ambitious woman who took an active role in the affairs of the state. She supported the modernization and reform of the Korean government and military, and sought to establish diplomatic relations with foreign powers, especially Russia, to counter the growing threat of Japan. She also promoted education, culture, and women’s rights. She was widely respected and loved by the Korean people, who called her “Her Palace Majesty”. Empress Myeongseong was seen as a hindrance to Japan’s imperial ambitions in Korea, and she was assassinated by a group of Japanese agents on October 8, 1895, in a brutal attack that shocked the world. Her death sparked a national outcry and a diplomatic crisis, and led to Gojong’s refuge in the Russian legation and the proclamation of the Korean Empire in 1897. Empress Myeongseong’s legacy is still honored and remembered in Korea today, as a symbol of patriotism, courage, and resistance. She is also the subject of many books, films, and dramas.