. On 13 December 1863, Yi was crowned in Injeong gate of
Changdeokgung. He was only twelve years old when he was crowned.
Queen Sinjeong acted as regent until he became an adult. His father,
Prince Heungseon Daewongun, assisted in the affairs of Queen Sinjeong's regency. In 1866, when the queen proclaimed the abolishment of the regency, Gojong's rule started. Even though Gojong's father Daewongun had no rights to maintain the regency, he still acted as regent illegally. Finally in 1873, Gojong announced the assumption of his direct royal rule. In November 1874, with the retirement of the Daewongun, Gojong's consort, Queen Min (posthumously known as
Empress Myeongseong) and
Yeoheung Min clan, gained complete control over the court, filling senior court positions with members of her family. Gojong tried to strengthen the king's authority by giving important positions to consort kins and royal family members. It is known that
Min Young-hwan, who was a distant relative of Queen Min, was Gojong's favorite official.
External pressures and unequal treaties In the 19th century, tensions mounted between
Qing China and
Imperial Japan, culminating in the
First Sino-Japanese War in 1894–1895. Much of this war was fought on the Korean peninsula. Japan, having acquired Western military technology after the
Meiji Restoration,
secured a victory against Joseon forces in
Ganghwa Island, forcing Joseon to sign the
Treaty of Ganghwa in 1876. Japan encroached upon Korean territory in search of fish, iron ore, and other natural resources. It also established a strong economic presence in the peninsula, heralding the beginning of Japanese imperialist expansion in East Asia. These events were the roots of Gojong's antipathy to the Japanese Empire. The Treaty of Ganghwa became the first
unequal treaty signed between Korea and a foreign country; it gave
extraterritorial rights to Japanese citizens in Korea and forced the Korean government to open three ports,
Busan,
Chemulpo (Incheon), and
Wonsan, to Japanese and foreign trade. With the signing of such a lopsided treaty, Korea became easy prey for competing
imperialistic powers, paving the way for Korea's
annexation by Japan.
Imo Rebellion and Kapsin Coup King Gojong began to rely on a new paid army (
byeolgigun) of soldiers equipped with rifles. These new armies were requested by the
Gaehwa Party and was supervised by
Yun Ung-nyeol. In contrast to the well-armed army, the old army had not received a salary for 13 months. The tattered army was finally paid one month's salary. Enraged, the old army sparked a riot, and the
Daewongun seized power. When the Imo Incident happened,
Queen Min requested the
Qing Empire for military support. On 27 June 1882, the Qing deployed about 3,000 soldiers in Seoul. They kidnapped the Daewongun on 7 July 1882, which led the Min family to regain political power. During the Imo incident when Queen Min was taking refuge in her relative's villa, Lady Seon-yeong of the Yeongwol Eom clan showed extreme devotion towards King Gojong. He rewarded her fealty by promoting her to the rank of Jimil Sanggung (5th senior rank of
Women of the Internal Court). On 4 December 1884, five revolutionaries attempted a
coup d'état by leading a small anti-old minister army to detain King Gojong and Queen Min. These revolutionaries tried to remove the Qing army from Korea. The Kapsin Coup failed after 3 days. Some of its leaders, including
Kim Okkyun, fled to Japan, and others were executed. While suppressing this coup, Gojong actively invited Qing only to increase the
Yuan Shikai's influence over Korea. Yet Gojong did try to maintain the independence of his nation. The Chinese even considered abdicating Gojong for consolidation of Qing influence in Korea. For Gojong, he believed that relying on to stronger powers was the best solution in the situation without neither army to guard him nor money. However, these decision never followed his own responsibility, ultimately poisoning his very own nation he intended to save.
Peasant revolts Widespread poverty presented significant challenges to the 19th century Joseon Dynasty. Starvation was rampant, and much of the populace lived in run-down shanties lined along dirt roads. Famine, poverty, crushing taxes, and corruption among the ruling class, led to many notable peasant revolts in the 19th century. In 1894, the
Donghak Peasant Revolution took hold as an anti-government, anti-
yangban, and anti-foreign campaign. One leading cause of the revolution was the tax system implemented by
Queen Min. Gojong asked for the assistance from the Chinese and Japanese to crush the revolution.
Yi Jun-yong and others coordinated with peasants to assassinate Gojong. However, the plot was leaked and the revolution failed.
Assassination of Queen Min In 1895,
Queen Min, posthumously elevated to Empress Myeongseong, was assassinated by Japanese agents. The Japanese minister to Korea,
Miura Gorō, orchestrated the plot against her. A group of Japanese agents entered
Gyeongbokgung in Seoul, which was under guard by Korean troops sympathetic to the Japanese, and the queen was killed in the palace. The queen had attempted to counter Japanese interference in Korea. She and her court were pro-Russian in the immediate run-up to the assassination.
Anti-Japanese sentiments in Korea In 1895 Japan won the
First Sino-Japanese War, expanding its influence over the Korean government. The Kabo Reforms and the assassination of the queen stirred controversy in Korea, fomenting
Korean anti-Japanese sentiment. Gojong's antipathy toward the Japanese intensified, and he turned to Russia as an ally by signing
Russia–Korea Treaty of 1884. He sent many emissaries to Russian Empire. On 11 February 1896, King Gojong and his crown prince fled from the
Gyeongbokgung to the
Russian legation in
Seoul, from where they governed for about one year, an event known as
Gojong's internal exile to the Russian legation. Because of staying in the Russian legation many concessions of Korea were taken by Russia. Min returned to Korea in October 1896 with Russian Army instructors. These instructors were able to train guards which enabled Gojong to return to palace in February 1897. == Emperor of Korea ==