Reformist party of the Joseon
Encyclopedia
Reformist Party of the Joseon (hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

: 개화당, hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

: 開化黨, romanization
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...

: Gaehwadang) was a Korean independence party founded after the Imo Incident
Imo Incident
The Imo Incident, also known as Imo mutiny, was a military revolt of some units of the Korean military in Incheon on July 23, 1882.-Background:A variety of causes for this brief disturbance have been put forward...

. They tried to cut off the submissive relationship Korea had to the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

, they were opposed to what they called the "Sycophant Party" (hangul: 사대수구당; a group supporting Korea's subservience to China) of Queen Min
Empress Myeongseong
Empress Myeongseong , also known as Queen Min, was the first official wife of King Gojong, the twenty-sixth king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea...

, and they reformed domestic affairs emulating the Empire of Japan's Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

. They were also the organization that tried to found an independent Joseon nation. Other names they were known by include: Independence Party of the Joseon, the the Empire of Japan Party of the Joseon, the Innovation Party of the Joseon, and the Reformist Faction. The central figures of this party were Kim Ok-gyun, Hong Yeong-sik, Seo Jae-pil and Seo Gwang-bum. Also Sycophant Party of the Joseon participated in enlightening movements, so they were called the Radical Reformist Faction to make a distinction from them.

The Reformist Party of the Joseon orchestrated the Gapsin Coup after the Sino–French War with the promise of advice and support of Takezoe Shinichiro (hangul: 다케조에 신이치로, hanja: 竹添), the Japanese minister to Korea. Ultimately, the coup d'état was crushed by the Qing army, so Reformist Party members like Kim Ok-gyun, Park Yeong-hyo, Seo Jae-pil, and so on sought asylum in Japan. After the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...

, Japan gained superiority over Korea, so they organized a cabinet three times under Kim Hong-jip's leadership, but their politics were entirely under Japan's control, indirectly resulting in aiding and abetting Japan's invasion. With the popularity of pro-Russians on the rise, the Reformist Faction collapsed.

See also

  • Gapsin Coup
  • Kim Ok-gyun
  • Park Yeong-hyo
  • Seo Jae-pil
  • Syngman Rhee
    Syngman Rhee
    Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...

  • Kim Kyu-sik
    Kim Kyu-sik
    Kim Kyu-Sik, also spelled Kimm Giusic and Kimm Kiusic, was a Korean politician and academic during the Korean independence movement and a leader of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea...

  • Yun Chi-ho
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