Two Perspectives on the 1895 Assassination of Queen Min

The Eulmi Incident (1895) refers to the assassination of Queen Min, commit-ted by a gang of Japanese and Korean criminals, who broke into Gyeongbok-gung palace and killed the queen on October 8, 1895. In addition to the factu-al details studied so far, the political ramifications that ensued after the inci-dent also need to be examined. Many important questions remain unan-swered. Did the political environment really change after the Queen’s death, in a fashion that was favorable to the Japanese? What kind of factions came to power after the incident? And what were the positions and initial reactions of the foreign diplomatic ministers in Seoul regarding the incident? Answers to these questions will prove very relevant, as they form the basis for later histori-ans to examine our own perspective and mindset regarding the situation then. These three questions need to be answered if we are going to reexamine and verify the objectivity of our viewpoint and understanding of the incident. This paper focuses on the activities of the Diplomatic Corps Conferences convened in the aftermath of the incident to illuminate the truth behind the Eulmi Inci-dent, the perspectives of the diplomatic ministers of the Russian and Japanese legations with regard to the post-incident developments, and their diplomatic activities aimed at furthering their own imperialist interests.

keywords: Queen Min, Eulmi Incident, Miura Gor¯ o, K. I. Waeber, Diplomatic Corps Conferences, Kim Hong-jip cabinet, diplomatic policy

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Article Contents

Vol.48 No.2

Two Perspectives on the 1895 Assassination of Queen Min

Abstract

Reference

Korea Journal