Born as Yi Yung-Jun, he was the only son of King Cheoljeong and Queen Cheorin. When he was 6 years old, his father died and he ascended to the throne. His mother became regent and Kim Byeong-Pil became chief state councilor. However, the power of the Andong Kim clan, which his mother belonged to, became too much to bear for the nation and the nation was about to enter anarchy due to numerous peasant rebellions.
Affairs came to a head when the French expedition of 1866 managed to penetrate past present-day Inchon. It exposed weaknesses in the Korean military, economy, showed that the nation was very much vulnerable to foreign encroachment. Someone from the Cheongpung Kim clan orchestrated a coup when French troops arrived at the gates of the capital, overthrowing Kim Byeong-Pil and putting the Dowager Queen under house arrest while taking control of Wonjong.
At the Hanseong Conference of 1867, the leader of the Cheongpung Kim clan opened up Korea to French trade, the first of many unequal treaties. The Andong Kim clan launched a countercoup, leading to the Cheongpung Kim clan going into hiding. However, they proved even more incapable at governing the country and when the Americans showed up in force in 1871, they were overthrown by military officers and driven to near extinction. In the chaos, the leader of the Cheongju Yang clan emerged as a new force and took power. At the Ganghwa Conference, Joseon was opened up to US trade.
Under his direction, Councilor Yang sent delegations abroad to learn and to develop Joseon along Western lines. He looked across the East Sea and took cues from the ongoing changes under the Meiji Restoration. He sent a group of officers to Germany to learn the latest Prussian tactics and organization and another group to France to learn naval tactics and strategy, among other reforms. He invited US and European businessmen and engineers to advise and oversee various projects like railroads, ports, and telegraph lines.
At the same time, Councilor Yang was wary of growing Japanese influence in the east. Knowing that eventually the Japanese would attempt to force their will on Korea, Yang devoted resources and energy to building up Joseon’s military. Both Japan and Korea were influenced by Prussian doctrine. However, Joseon did not have the resources to acquire battleships and so planned to employ the French Jeune École doctrine, which favored small, fast warships, especially cruisers and torpedo boats, with the offensive capability to destroy larger craft. To this end, he employed French naval officers and French influence was especially strong in the modern Joseon Navy, as a majority of their senior commanders were under tutelage. Moreover, French naval doctrine was most compatible with Joseon's strategic position, as Joseon had no aspirations for regional dominance yet.
It was against this backdrop that the king matured. After assuming personal rule, Yung-Jun continued the modernization schemes. The 1880s saw major change for the country. Mining, agriculture, shipping, and industry were all expanded and strengthened, while the Korean army was expanded to 75,000 troops. By the end of the decade, the Korean navy had four cruisers, ten torpedo boats, and numerous merchant vessels that could be converted for wartime use, most of them assembled in French shipyards.
Yung-Jun, as one of his first actions as king, was to inaugurate Korea’s entry as a modern power. He did so by having a part of the fleet sail around the world, a total of one cruiser and other ships, and they made port calls in places like Shanghai, Manila, San Francisco, Norfolk, Plymouth, Cherbourg, Bombay, and Sydney. He also didn’t want war with Japan, so he opened negotiations with the government and came to an understanding with the Emperor Meiji. He balanced relations with France and Qing China, but while he was inclined to support the former during their invasion of Formosa, he couldn't realistically take on the Qing yet and Joseon was still a tributary state. Nevertheless, he watched events closely and the invasion of Formosa showed two things: the French navy performed well but overall French military successes were limited by resources, and the Qing were still very disorganized despite military reforms.
Yung-Jun invited Ito Hirobumi to the Joseon royal palace, one of the most powerful men in Japan. Ito sympathized with Yung-Jun's growing dissatisfaction with being subservient to China, and he sought to turn Joseon into a Japanese partner. In his mind, an independent Joseon posed no strategic problem to Japan's national security, but if the country remained subordinate to China, it would consequently be inviting prey for foreign domination in the future. In a secret agreement, Joseon would remain neutral in a conflict between Japan and China, but would fight with China should Qing be the aggressor.
Qing agents in the Joseon court caught wind of the agreement, and the Empress Cixi through the Guangxu Emperor demanded that Yung-Jun himself come to the Forbidden City and explain himself. However, Li Hongzhang, apprehensive of growing conflict with Japan as he also knew that China was not yet ready, controlled the hawkish mandarins in the Qing court and instead traveled himself to Joseon. Getting an audience with Yung-Jun, Li gave assurances that the Guangxu Emperor for additional protection in return for repudiating the agreement. Yung-Jun, in good conscience, couldn't do that but he also came to an understanding with Li, not wanting to antagonize the Qing prematurely.
Ito had his own agents in the Joseon court, and he was very concerned that Yung-Jun might actually come to an accord with the Qing. In his mind, Joseon had to be made independent of China at all costs, or Japanese security would be at risk. However, he also sought to increase Japanese influence in the peninsula, knowing full well that he couldn't trust Yung-Jun to be a reliable Japanese partner if his interests conflicted with Japan's. Therefore, he had to side with the hawkish elements from especially the Army. He also made a connection with the Yeoheung Min clan, rivals to Councilor Yang, as well as remnants to the Andong Kim clan. They all sought to regain influence in the court, and Ito sought to weaponize their desires for power.
Yung-Jun realized what Ito was doing, confirming his belief that he couldn't fully trust him and Japan. However, Joseon was in a dangerous position, being sandwiched between two more powerful empires, and he couldn't know for sure if Joseon would be able to withstand them both at the same time. He had to choose between two devils: the one he knew or another he couldn't fully expect.
Affairs came to a head when the French expedition of 1866 managed to penetrate past present-day Inchon. It exposed weaknesses in the Korean military, economy, showed that the nation was very much vulnerable to foreign encroachment. Someone from the Cheongpung Kim clan orchestrated a coup when French troops arrived at the gates of the capital, overthrowing Kim Byeong-Pil and putting the Dowager Queen under house arrest while taking control of Wonjong.
At the Hanseong Conference of 1867, the leader of the Cheongpung Kim clan opened up Korea to French trade, the first of many unequal treaties. The Andong Kim clan launched a countercoup, leading to the Cheongpung Kim clan going into hiding. However, they proved even more incapable at governing the country and when the Americans showed up in force in 1871, they were overthrown by military officers and driven to near extinction. In the chaos, the leader of the Cheongju Yang clan emerged as a new force and took power. At the Ganghwa Conference, Joseon was opened up to US trade.
Under his direction, Councilor Yang sent delegations abroad to learn and to develop Joseon along Western lines. He looked across the East Sea and took cues from the ongoing changes under the Meiji Restoration. He sent a group of officers to Germany to learn the latest Prussian tactics and organization and another group to France to learn naval tactics and strategy, among other reforms. He invited US and European businessmen and engineers to advise and oversee various projects like railroads, ports, and telegraph lines.
At the same time, Councilor Yang was wary of growing Japanese influence in the east. Knowing that eventually the Japanese would attempt to force their will on Korea, Yang devoted resources and energy to building up Joseon’s military. Both Japan and Korea were influenced by Prussian doctrine. However, Joseon did not have the resources to acquire battleships and so planned to employ the French Jeune École doctrine, which favored small, fast warships, especially cruisers and torpedo boats, with the offensive capability to destroy larger craft. To this end, he employed French naval officers and French influence was especially strong in the modern Joseon Navy, as a majority of their senior commanders were under tutelage. Moreover, French naval doctrine was most compatible with Joseon's strategic position, as Joseon had no aspirations for regional dominance yet.
It was against this backdrop that the king matured. After assuming personal rule, Yung-Jun continued the modernization schemes. The 1880s saw major change for the country. Mining, agriculture, shipping, and industry were all expanded and strengthened, while the Korean army was expanded to 75,000 troops. By the end of the decade, the Korean navy had four cruisers, ten torpedo boats, and numerous merchant vessels that could be converted for wartime use, most of them assembled in French shipyards.
Yung-Jun, as one of his first actions as king, was to inaugurate Korea’s entry as a modern power. He did so by having a part of the fleet sail around the world, a total of one cruiser and other ships, and they made port calls in places like Shanghai, Manila, San Francisco, Norfolk, Plymouth, Cherbourg, Bombay, and Sydney. He also didn’t want war with Japan, so he opened negotiations with the government and came to an understanding with the Emperor Meiji. He balanced relations with France and Qing China, but while he was inclined to support the former during their invasion of Formosa, he couldn't realistically take on the Qing yet and Joseon was still a tributary state. Nevertheless, he watched events closely and the invasion of Formosa showed two things: the French navy performed well but overall French military successes were limited by resources, and the Qing were still very disorganized despite military reforms.
Yung-Jun invited Ito Hirobumi to the Joseon royal palace, one of the most powerful men in Japan. Ito sympathized with Yung-Jun's growing dissatisfaction with being subservient to China, and he sought to turn Joseon into a Japanese partner. In his mind, an independent Joseon posed no strategic problem to Japan's national security, but if the country remained subordinate to China, it would consequently be inviting prey for foreign domination in the future. In a secret agreement, Joseon would remain neutral in a conflict between Japan and China, but would fight with China should Qing be the aggressor.
Qing agents in the Joseon court caught wind of the agreement, and the Empress Cixi through the Guangxu Emperor demanded that Yung-Jun himself come to the Forbidden City and explain himself. However, Li Hongzhang, apprehensive of growing conflict with Japan as he also knew that China was not yet ready, controlled the hawkish mandarins in the Qing court and instead traveled himself to Joseon. Getting an audience with Yung-Jun, Li gave assurances that the Guangxu Emperor for additional protection in return for repudiating the agreement. Yung-Jun, in good conscience, couldn't do that but he also came to an understanding with Li, not wanting to antagonize the Qing prematurely.
Ito had his own agents in the Joseon court, and he was very concerned that Yung-Jun might actually come to an accord with the Qing. In his mind, Joseon had to be made independent of China at all costs, or Japanese security would be at risk. However, he also sought to increase Japanese influence in the peninsula, knowing full well that he couldn't trust Yung-Jun to be a reliable Japanese partner if his interests conflicted with Japan's. Therefore, he had to side with the hawkish elements from especially the Army. He also made a connection with the Yeoheung Min clan, rivals to Councilor Yang, as well as remnants to the Andong Kim clan. They all sought to regain influence in the court, and Ito sought to weaponize their desires for power.
Yung-Jun realized what Ito was doing, confirming his belief that he couldn't fully trust him and Japan. However, Joseon was in a dangerous position, being sandwiched between two more powerful empires, and he couldn't know for sure if Joseon would be able to withstand them both at the same time. He had to choose between two devils: the one he knew or another he couldn't fully expect.
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