Gwon was born on November 27, 1854, at
Yeongdong. Having learned Japanese from an early age, he joined the
Gaehwa Party which was a pro-Japanese political party. In 1883, he became the secretary of the Toei Supervisory Office, and then the secretary in Japan. In 1891 he became the Customs Officer at
Incheon and was involved in the signing of the
Austria–Korea Treaty of 1892 with
Austria-Hungary. In January 1905, Gwon was appointed as the Minister of Military. On September 26, 1905, he was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry as a member of
Han Kyu-seol's cabinet. On November 17, 1905, Gwon signed the
Eulsa Treaty with four other ministers. He had previously opposed the signing of treaty, but when
Han Kyu-seol was taken away by the Japanese because he also opposed the treaty, Gwon changed his stance and assented the signing. The five bureaucrats, including Gwon Jung-hyeon were shunned as later generations retrospectively title them the
Five Eulsa Traitors. In 1912, he received the Korea Annexation Commemorative Medal and was promoted to Senior Fifth Rank . In 1919, he submitted his resignation and resigned as an advisor to the Central House, but after that he requested the governor-general of Korea,
Makoto Saitō, to return, and in 1925 he was appointed as an advisor to the Korean History Compilation Committee. He was reinstated as an advisor to the Central House during the period of Governor-General
Hanzō Yamanashi. ==Legacy==