Myeongseong of Korea
| Empress Myeongseong 명성황후 |
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| Empress consort of Korea (posthumously) |
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| Queen consort of Joseon | |||||
| Tenure | 20 March 1866 – 8 October 1895 | ||||
| Regent of Joseon | |||||
| Tenure | 6 July 1895 – 8 October 1895 | ||||
| Monarch | Gojong | ||||
| Tenure | 1 November 1873 – 1 July 1894 | ||||
| Monarch | Gojong | ||||
| Born | 19 October 1851 Yeoju, Kingdom of Joseon |
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| Died |
8 October 1895 (aged 43) Okhoru Pavilion, Gyeongbok Palace, Kingdom of Joseon |
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| Burial | Hongneung | ||||
| Spouse | King Gojong | ||||
| Issue | Emperor Sunjong | ||||
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| House | Yeoheung Min | ||||
| Father | Min Chi-Rok | ||||
| Mother | Lady Lee of the Hansan Lee clan | ||||
| Posthumous name | |
|---|---|
| 효자원성정화합천홍공성덕제휘열목명성태황후 |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 명성황후 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 明成皇后 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeongseong Hwanghu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏngsŏng Hwanghu |
Empress Myeongseong (19 October 1851 – 8 October 1895), known informally as Queen Min, was the first official wife of Gojong of Korea, the twenty-sixth king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire.
The government of Meiji Japan considered Empress Myeongseong an obstacle to its overseas expansion. Efforts to remove her from the political arena, orchestrated through failed rebellions prompted by her conservative father in law, the Heungseon Daewongun (who represented the conservative faction and at some times collaborated with the Japanese when it suited his needs), compelled her to take a harsher stand against Japanese influence.
After Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, Joseon Korea came under the Japanese sphere of influence. The Empress advocated stronger ties between Korea and Russia in an attempt to block Japanese influence in Korea. Miura Gorō, the Japanese Minister to Korea at that time and a retired army lieutenant-general, backed the faction headed by the Daewongun, whom he considered to be more sympathetic to Japanese interests.
In the early morning of 8 October 1895, the Hullyeondae Regiment, loyal to the Daewongun, attacked the Gyeongbokgung, overpowering its Royal Guards. Hullyeondae officers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Woo Beomseon, then allowed a group of Japanese ronins, specifically recruited for this purpose to infiltrate the palace, under orders from Miura Goro. Upon entering the Empress's quarters (Okhoru Pavilion), the assassins "killed three court [women] suspected of being the Empress. When they confirmed that one of them was the Empress, they burned the woman who by some accounts was still breathing in a pine grove in front of the Okhoru Pavilion. They then dispersed the ashes." She was 43 years old.
The assassination of the Empress ignited outrage among other foreign powers. To appease growing international criticism, the Japanese government "recalled Miura and placed him under a staged trial at the Hiroshima District Court, while the military personnel involved were tried at a military court. All were given the verdict of not guilty on the grounds of insufficient evidence."
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Wikipedia