History of Korea

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Late Joseon Period - Reform Attempts

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Reform Attempts

In the early 19th century, the Korean economy and social conditions improved. The people in general thought that foreign ideas and European commercial enterprise in particular should be taken seriously. Some officials advocated a thorough reform of national finance. The central government examined the proposal, but its implementation was thwarted by a struggle for power. There were numerous agrarian revolts which gradually led to political upheaval.
The powerful yangban officials, through their marriage ties with the royal family, were able to ensure for themselves a firm grasp on political power; every important national policy formulated in the early 19th century was implemented for their interests alone. They were divided into numerous contending cliques, and did not pay any attention to the general welfare of the people. Such was Korea's internal situation when, at the end of the 18th century, the British, in their quest for Asian markets, made their first probings into Korean waters. In the 1840s, Russian and French vessels added their appearance, causing great excitement among the people.
The government carried out persecutions of Catholics in 1801 and 1839. This tended to disperse the converts to outlying districts, where Catholicism spread among impoverished farmers and yangban who came to depend more on religious salvation.
In 1863, Prince Yi Haeung, better known as the Daewongun or Prince Regent, put into effect a series of sweeping reforms encompassing national finance and government administration in order to strengthen the royal authority. He strongly opposed the increasing infiltration of foreign commercial interests into the country. In the spring of 1866, the government ordered the rigorous persecution of Catholics. Aroused by this measure, the French fleet sailed up the Hangang River and hostilities broke out on Ganghwado Island.
Economic and social developments drove the majority of yangban to bankruptcy, while the peasants and merchants were eager to throw off the traditional social constraints. As these trends developed, the government devised measures to suppress them. Another impetus to social dynamism was the increase in offspring of the yangban and mothers of lower origin.
Although the emancipation of bondsmen resulted in an increase in the number of taxable people, the exploitation of farmers by the ruling class caused the state's tax revenues to decline.

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Late Joseon Period - Welfare Programs Welfare Programs The ideal of a Confucian welfare state during the Joseon Dynasty was conceived and implemented by King Sejong in the 15th century, but it was Yi Sugwang who elaborated on the philosophy of welfare in the period following the Hideyoshi invasions. He expounded the idea that the Way of Heaven was to be found among the people, and its noblest realization was to feed and clothe the people ... Views 30319
Late Joseon Period - Reform Attempts Reform Attempts In the early 19th century, the Korean economy and social conditions improved. The people in general thought that foreign ideas and European commercial enterprise in particular should be taken seriously. Some officials advocated a thorough reform of national finance. The central government examined the proposal, but its implementation was thwarted by a struggle for power. There were numerous agrarian ... Views 31138
Late Joseon Period - Peasant Wars of 1812 and 1862 Peasant Wars of 1812 and 1862 During this period, drought and flood alternately struck the country, causing a succession of bad harvests, which in turn generated a grim cycle of famine. Excessive tax collection and forced labor ensued. These adverse natural and social conditions ignited a series of agrarian revolts. In 1812, Hong Gyeongrae rose up in revolt with the peasants at Gasan, in the northern part of ... Views 31376
Challenges of Modernization - Response to Capitalist Encroachment Response to Capitalist Encroachment During the late 19th century, insistent demands for commercial relations with Joseon were made by the British, the Russians and other Europeans. The Prussian merchant Ernest J. Oppert in 1866 twice knocked on Korea's door and requested trade, but was refused. In the same year the American ship General Sherman made its memorable sortie into Korean waters with the objective of ... Views 31678
Challenges of Modernization - Arguments for Repulsion / Reformists Arguments for Repulsion Korea's learned Confucianists, on the basis of information obtained through Qing China, regarded the infiltration of European capitalist power as a potentially disruptive intrusion. They wanted to strengthen their alignment with Neo-Confucian ethics, and grew intolerant of new creeds. The closing of many local schools by the Daewongun in 1864 increased apathy. Deprived of their spiritua... Views 30773
Challenges of Modernization - Opposition to Japan Opposition to Japan The Japanese minister to Korea, Hanabusa Yoshimoto, forced the Korean government to introduce the Japanese army training system, and a separate training command was established for this purpose. Implementation of army reorganization and training was of itself an effective springboard for aggression. Japan monopolized the Korean market in 1876. Two years later, Japan's Daiichi Bank established a branch ... Views 30840
Challenges of Modernization - Political Upheaval of 1884 Political Upheaval of 1884 The conclusion of a series of commercial treaties between Joseon and foreign countries intensified the encroachment of capitalist powers. A group of reformists denounced the leading politicians for their reliance on foreign influence and tried to introduce reforms that would improve social conditions, enrich the people and strengthen national power. The main concern of Kim Okgyun... Views 30716
Challenges of Modernization - Donghak Struggle of 1894 Donghak Struggle of 1894 Donghak, or Eastern Learning, was based on the doctrine of the salvation of farmers from their destitute lives. Although its preaching had a religious aspect, the main concern was to realize national stability and security. Seeing that his teaching was gaining in popularity, the government executed Choe Je-u in 1864 on charges of treason. His movement lived on, however, and poverty-stricken... Views 30904
Challenges of Modernization - Reform Attempts Reform Attempts The unsuccessful 1884 coup d'etat brought frustration to the reform efforts, but the need for reform still was keenly felt by the populace and some leaders of the government as well. The disintegration of the traditional social order was accelerated by the peasant struggle. Such developments led Korea to implement institutional reform. The conservative government had been compelled to accept the ad... Views 31092
Challenges of Modernization - Intensified Japanese Aggression Intensified Japanese Aggression Japanese aggression in Korea was "a matter of life or death," as was earlier expressed by Hayashi Tadashi, an one-time Japanese minister to London. As Japanese aggression intensified, the Min clique collaborated with Russian Minister Karl Waeber to force Kim Hongjip to reorganize his cabinet, and pro-Russian figures such as Yi Beomjin were given cabinet posts. The government, reorganizing ... Views 30828

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