Part 2: 1880~1884
June 25 1880. With the Japanese urging the Joseon government to make extensive concessions, King Gojong feels the necessity to send another delegation to Korea. Headed by Kim Hong-jip, the 58-man delegation leaves Pusan. He meets various diplomats in Tokyo, in particular as the Chinese ambassador Ha Yeo-jang. Kim realises that Korea must pursue a diplomacy of neutrality in order to survive the various encroaching powers.
Kim Hong-jip. He's the most loyal to Japan. Or is he?
September 10 1880. Lee returns to Korea with Kim Hong-jip. Kim relays what he has learnt in Japan to Gojong.
October 1880. The "Blizzard of 1880" begins in North America.
October 11 1880. Negotiations over the Korea-US Treaty of Amity begin to take place in Tientsin. Lee Tong-in is sent to Japan to request the Imperial government to help the negotiations process.
January 11 1881. Despite strong resistance from the conservative rural aristocrats(Yurim), Gojong decides to send another envoy to Japan, in order to learn more about the new system Japan has adopted in administration, taxation and military command.
January 25 1881. Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
February 26 1881. After Yoo Won-sik is arrested and sent to exile for disobeying government directives, conservative Yurim aristocrats sign a formal Petition of Ten Thousand Men(Manin-soh). The petition is rejected and the leaders are sent to exile.
April 23 1881. The Japanese send a formal assent to send military officers to train an elite corp of Korean soldiers. Funded by the main Department of War and comprised of "80 healthy-bodied men", this corp of Second Lieutenants is called the Byolgi-gun.
What a healthy-looking group of people. Their servants are just around the corner.
May 16 1881. Berlin started the first regular electric tram service in the world.
June 3 1881. The envoy, having travelled all around Japan for several months, return to Korea through steamship and land at Pusan. Each of them have written detailed reports on their findings, having focused on different aspects of Japan. Both Empress Myeongsong and King Gojong have much to read.
June 18 1881. The League of the Three Emperors, between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, is resurrected.
August 10 1881. The Japanese trainer Horimodo, lauding the level of progress the Byolgi-gun have made, present a military review to King Gojong. The officers administering the military review are of the following: Major General Min Yeong-ik; Colonel Han Seong-gun; Lieutenant Colonels Yoon Wung-ryul and Kim Noh-wan; Major Woo Bom-seon. Most of the Byolgi-gun were of the Yangban class, aristocrats who have done no military training for the last five centuries. Many of them had servants tag along, carrying chamberpots and often the soldiers themselves during training. Gojong is not impressed during the review.
September 26 1881. A 38-man delegation, comprised mainly of young students eager to learn more about the world, leave for China after several weeks' worth of delays. Their main objective is to study modern military strategy and tactics, along with bringing enough weapons and munitions for 30,000 soldiers.
January 5 1882. Charles J. Guiteau is found guilty of the assassination of James A. Garfield, former President of the United States, despite an insanity defence raised by his lawyer.
May 20 1882. The Triple Alliance is formed between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
May 22 1882. After several years of negotiations, the Korea-US Treaty of Amity is signed by both nations. Included in the Treaty are prohibitions of opium, exchanges of diplomatic and consular representatives, student exchange programs, and extraterritoriality.
June 2 1882. The Conventional Army, comprised mainly of lower-class Koreans, explode their fury at a government officer when their delayed wages are paid with bags half filled with sand and rice by beating him up. King Gojong recognises their loyalty to the crown for having not revolted and order better wages be paid. The Conventional Army happily return with wages fully paid - for now. They still jeer at the Byolgi-gun as "Jap soldiers", however.
August 8 1882. Angry Korean merchants fighting Chinese merchants at Inchon become a large brawl. Several Chinese merchants are killed. The Chinese government requests the Korean government a Treaty to allow Chinese troops to be deployed at Korea.
August 23 1882. The China-Korea Communication and Commerce Treaty is signed. The Treaty allowed 2,000 Chinese troops to be deployed to Korea.
August 30 1882. The Japan-Korea Treaty is signed at Chemulpo, Inchon. The Treaty also allowed Japanese troops to be deployed for the "safety and well-being of Japanese and Korean merchants".
September 18 1882. The Joseon envoy to the United States, after leaving Korea by steamship and crossing the Pacific, meet President Chester Arthur. The eleven-man delegation visit various parts of the United States, such as the World Fair grounds, hospitals, military schools and the like.
The President has never felt so awkward in his own office.
September 19 1882. The Joseon government sends envoys of apology to the respective governments of Japan and China over the recently signed Treaties. While the Chinese delegation is met with some disdain, the Japanese delegation is met with the utmost welcome: they are mostly escorted by the Emperor himself. The delegates, namely Park Yong-hyo and others, are flattered by such hospitality.
Park Yong-hyo. His design of the Korean flag will bring great confusion to elementary school students for years to come.
October 19 1882. In an effort to cut down the oversized bureaucracy, Gojong installs the Reduction Office. The government, divided between the conservatives and curious, refuses to listen to the Office. The bureaucracy stops working altogether.
October 29 1882. The Joseon envoy to the United States splits into three main groups: while most returned back to Korea by ship across the Pacific, Min and his friends decided to also visit Europe to see for themselves the glory of Western civilisation. One, however, remained in the United States to continue his studies.
March 14 1883. Gojong signs the Korea-Japan Underground Cable Construction Treaty. A telegraph line is laid between Pusan and Nagasaki.
May 1 1883. The Reduction Office is closed after 5 months of continuous incompetence and failure.
May 18 1883. The Reform Party strengthens under the leadership of Kim Yun-sik. His ideology, mainly based on a mixture between liberal Neoconfucianism and Western philosophy, perceived three essential qualities that must be achieved by the Joseon kingdom or any other government that replaced it: Solidarity, Welfare, and Liberty. It was seen by the Reform Party that urbanisation, westernisation and modernisation can only be pursued if these three requirements are met. This three-pronged ideology will later be called "Three Principles of the Nation" and come to influence philosophers and revolutionaries around the world. Although not completely within the government body, the Reform Party saw some success with Gojong officially adopting 'balance of power' in foreign policy and the establishment of several Western schools.
Always trust the smiling guy with a beard!
May 24 1883. Brooklyn Bridge of New York, United States is opened to traffic after 13 years of construction.
August 3 1883. The Reform Party opens the Hansung Sunbo, the first modern newspaper to be published within Joseon. They also help establish the Taedong Corporation, a small coalition of Korean merchants and industrialists made to compete against foreign companies. 26 of them will be established before the 6.25 Revolt.
August 26 1883. Krakatoa volcano begins eruption at 10:02 AM (local time). 163 villages are destroyed, 36,380 killed in total.
November 11 1883. The Road Safety Office is installed. It is the first modern police department of Joseon. Also installed is a modern mailing system.
December 1 1883. Tientsin Accord signed between France and China over the sovereignty of Tonkin (northern Vietnam).
January 2 1884. Treaty of Hue is signed between France and Annam(Vietnam). The treaty formed the basis for French colonial rule in Vietnam for the next seven decades.
January 30 1884. It is recognised by the Reform Party that the existing bureaucracy is too ineffective in any form of reform and only direct control through a coup could resolve the issue. The radicals within the party, before contacting the Japanese embassy, request the moderates to join them in the cause. Aware of the Empress Myongsong being entirely ignored by Gojong as of the time, the moderates(mainly comprised of the Min clan) agree. Plans are drawn to kill conservative leaders such as Lee Hong-jip and make Gojong into a puppet king.
February 14 1884. Sino-French War: Negotiations between France and China broke down in mid-January, and August Courbet is ordered to attack the Chinese fleet at Fuzhou.
April 1 1884. Under severe pressure from the conservatives, the Hansung Sunbo is closed. The printing machine is sent back to Japan.
June 24 1884. The issue of bad wages for the Conventional Army is again raised by the time the rice has run out. The issue however is overlooked in the oversized bureaucracy and it is unknown whether or not Gojong ever heard of the news.
Lee Myong-bok, 26th king of the Joseon dynasty, 1852-1884. RIP.
June 25 1884. Coup of 6.25. Angry soldiers of the Conventional Army, led by a mole planted by Lee Ha-eung, capture various arsenals and regroup to attack the Byolgi-gun garrison. The Byolgi-gun flee, and the Japanese commander is killed in the onslaught. Things start getting out of hand when, in an attempt to capture Empress Myongsong, the Conventional Army surround the palace. The Chinese garrison, already depleted in number due to the Sino-French War, is forced to engage them as their garrison is within the vicinity. When the Japanese Embassy hears of the news, they urge the Reform Party to use the chaos and start the coup. The Reform Party agrees and, using the Japanese troops, capture various government offices and kill conservative leaders. Lee Ha-eung, however, escapes under disguise and flees to Inchon. In the battle between the Conventional Army and the Chinese troops, many of the Changduk palace are caught in the crossfire. Among the fallen are Gojong, the Empress Myongsong, his concubines and the children. The Massacre of Changduk Palace only stops when Japanese troops quickly neutralise hostile forces. Upon hearing the news, the Reform Party declares a State of Mourning and discuss how to proceed. It is expressed by the moderates that, now with the Empress gone, they have no stable control over the government; the radicals suggest that a Republican form of government now may be the best course of action. The debate goes deep into the night.
They thought every coup needed a photo taken with them looking like Napoleons.
June 26 1884. A Republic is declared over the Kingdom of Joseon.