How did Korea become a Japanese puppet?

I've been working on my timeline recently (yes, the one in my sig), and I've realised something while concentrating on the Far Eastern Theatre of my global war. When did the Japanese establish their authority over Korea? In my TL, Japan and Germany wage war against one another during the mid-to-late 19th century, chewing up a lot of resources in battles over the Kurils. They also have to keep a lot of forces on standby in the post-bellum period due to the threat of German invasion of Hokkaido.

So, if Japan's so worried about Germany invading and everything, can they still concentrate enough effort on colonialism to subjugate the Koreans?
 
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Korea became a Japanese protectorate in 1905 through the Eulsa Treaty, was de facto annexed in 1907 by the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1907 and was de jure annexed in 1910 by the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1910.
 
Japanese influence when they provoked a battle in 1876 and used gunboat diplomacy to set up an embassy and trade concessions. When their emabassy was burned by mutinous Korean troops in 1882, they stationed troops their, and used these to exert influence, but the Korean government remained isolationist and dependent on China. In 1884-5, a crisis broke out which led to Korea being "finlandised" by Japan and China. This system broke down in 1894, when the Sino-Japanese war forced China to end its influence, however Russia, who meddled in the settlement of that war, was also interested in the peninsula, and so Japan was not able to formalise its increasingly dominant position until after the Russo-Japanese war in 1905. Within five years of that, Korea had been made a colony.
 
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Japan defeated China circa 1894-5, and Russia between 1904 and 1905. This firmly established the Japanese presence in Korea, and removed their main competetion for influence there. Occupation was effected roughly from the point of the Russo-japanese war, and the penninsula formally annexed around 1910.

May I ask why Japan and Germany are fighting over the Kurils, of all places?
 
May I ask why Japan and Germany are fighting over the Kurils, of all places?

Russia didn't get as much money selling Alaska to the US as OTL, so they decided to sell Kamchatka and the Kurils to Germany to make up for it (Germany, Russia and Italy are all allied by the early 1850s). It makes sense in context, I swear.
 
Russia didn't get as much money selling Alaska to the US as OTL, so they decided to sell Kamchatka and the Kurils to Germany to make up for it (Germany, Russia and Italy are all allied by the early 1850s). It makes sense in context, I swear.

I doubt it. Leaving out the implausibility of the sale, why would Germany even buy? Let alone fight a regional power?
 
[FONT=&quot]Well, let's see what I wrote about it in my last topic.

The increase in foreign intervention in the conflict results in the American Civil War dragging on until November 1866, when General Robert E. Lee formally surrenders the military of the Confederacy to the Union. The CSA collapses quickly afterwards, and is formally dissolved on 31 December, 1866.

In part to recoup losses incurred by military intervention in the United States and also to help fund liberal reforms back home, Russia offers the colony of Alaska for sale for an initial asking price of 7 million US dollars. However, America, weary from its civil military conflict, bargains with the Russians, with the selling price eventually agreed upon being a mere 5.2 million US dollars in March of 1868.

Still in need of further funds, Russia turns next to its close ally, Germany. Kamchatka, one of Russia's furthest-east holdings, was once a significant stop-over point for shipments to and from Russian America. With Alaska having been transferred to US control, though, it has lost a great deal of its utility. Additionally, a minor attack on one of the peninsula's major forts by Japanese naval forces while the American Civil War was ongoing (the attack the result of a completely separate conflict over the Kuril island chain), whilst eventually repulsed, revealed the vulnerability of such a far-flung colony to the Russians.

Thus, the peninsula was offered to the Germans for the asking price of a mere 3.1 million Goldmarks. Germany, wishing to establish international prestige as a colonial power, as well as to secure its position as a blue-water naval force, responds by asking for, in addition to Kamchatka, the portion of the Kuril Island chain then controlled by Russia, as well as basing rights out of the Russian port of Vladivostok, for a total asking price of 4 million Goldmarks.

Much like the Alaska Purchase in the United States, the sale is controversial. The incumbent government believes that it is a good idea, citing the potential of not only military projection, but also of trade with the United States. The chairman, Otto von Bismarck, of the main German opposition party, the German National Party [1], was strongly opposed to the purchase, however, as well as the concept of colonial expansion anywhere beyond Europe. He wished to focus attention towards more local issues, such as managing relations with Britain and ensuring the continuation of the Berlin Treaty alliance.

Regardless, the German government goes ahead with their offer to purchase Kamchatka, the Kurils and obtain leasing rights for Vladivostok. The Russians, needing the money to finalise Alexander II's many social, economic, military and infrastructure reforms, agree, and authority over Kamchatka and the northern Kurils, along with basing rights in Vladivostok, is conveyed in February 1869. German Siberia, as the Kamchatka-Kurils colony is soon titled, will be the first of many German colonies around the globe.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Most people who saw this have remarked that it is "weird, yet plausible". I actually got this idea while talking with General Zod in an earlier topic, throwing around ideas for timelines a couple months ago.
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The Sandman

Banned
Wouldn't the Japanese be likely to go for Sakhalin? They were settling it in OTL before the deal that traded the southern part for the Kurils.
 
Wouldn't the Japanese be likely to go for Sakhalin? They were settling it in OTL before the deal that traded the southern part for the Kurils.

Without the Kurils as a bargaining chip, Russia couldn't trade the Japanese for the southern half of the island of Sakhalin. So, Russia and Japan agreed to split it between themselves 50-50... at least until WWI broke out in 1905.
 
Why would the Germans want the Kurils or Kamchatka?? The Germans were probably very anxious for a all weather port in the Pacific. Kuril and Kamchatka did not offer that. Also, many storms.

I would think if the Germans wanted any part of Russia it would have been Vladivostok. But even Vladivostok sometimes froze. Even the Russians kept part of there eastern fleet during the winter in Nagasaki Japan.
The next wave of foreign influence came in 1853 when Rear Admiral Putiatin of the Russian East Asian Fleet led his squadron into Nagasaki Harbor to seek the formation of a trade pact between Russia and Japan
Treaty was signed in 1856.

Germans were also in Nagasaki but they had to be protected by the other foreign powers. First German official consulate representative was not appointed until 1889. Before that German Merchants use to handle things.

As for Korea it is a Soap Opera around the time the Japanese tookover.
Korean King at the time was kind of weak. But his Queen Min (also called Empress Myeongseong )was not. So the Japanese eliminated her in 1895.
In 1895, Empress Myeongseong was assassinated by Japanese agents. The Japanese minister to Korea, Miura Goro orchestrated the plot against her. A group of Japanese agents entered the Imperial palace in Seoul, which was under Japanese guard, and Empress Myeongseong (referred to as "Queen Min" by the Japanese) was killed and her body desecrated in the North wing of the palace. The empress had attempted to counter Japanese interference in Korea and was considering turning to Russia or China for support
This happened during the Sino-Japanese war which Japan won. There were many Pro- Japanese as well as Pro-Russian Korean Clans with influence in the government.

After his Queen got it the King and Crown Prince went to the Russian Legation for one year. From there he ruled Korea.
On February 11, 1896, King Gojong and his crown prince fled from the Gyeongbokgung palace to the Russian legation in Seoul, from which they governed for about one year, an event known as Korea royal refuge at the Russian legation.
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This will explain it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_royal_refuge_at_the_Russian_legation

Would make a good "what if" she had not been eliminated. Korea is an ancient nation.

This is a photo of the Queen:
Queen_Min-oval_portrait.jpg


Photo of the King:
Gojong.jpg


If you want to read more about him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gojong_of_the_Korean_Empire

If you want to read more about her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Myeongseong
 
I would think if the Germans wanted any part of Russia it would have been Vladivostok.

In my quote of my timeline post, I mentioned that, when the Germans were offered Kamchatka, they, knowing that Kamchatka was useful only during summer, requested that Vladivostok be part of the deal.

A little later on, when they got in a war with Japan beginning in the summer but which dragged on into winter, they figured that, even though Vladivostok didn't freeze over, and Kamchatka proved to be useful during the summer portion of the campaign, sustaining a long-term war effort from these bases was difficult. So, they went a little further south and leased a port on Formosa from Qing China; they also annexed New Guinea.
 
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