Emperor Gojong and G20 Seoul Summit
Leaders of 20 nations and the heads of international organizations will gather in Seoul on November 11 for the two-day G20 Summit. Korea will play the role of host-nation by helping participating countries reach a consensus on important international issues. In 1907, the Korean Empire tried to participate in the Hague Convention at King Gojong’s order, but Joseon’s envoys were denied access to the venue of the event. After more than a century, the small nation of Joseon has grown influential enough to host the G20 summit, the first among developing nations to do so. Could it be that King Gojong’s dream that Korea would one day have its say in the global arena has finally been realized?

An unfortunate emperor or a civilized monarch?
Gojong was the last king of the Joseon Dynasty and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. His legacy continues to stir controversy to this day. Gojong was born in 1852 as the second son of Regent Hongseon Daewongun. He ascended the throne at a tender age of 12, but it was his father who ruled for him until he reached adulthood in 1873. Many people thought that Gojong was powerless because it was his wife, Empress Myeongseong, who held the nation’s politics under control. The 1866 French campaign and the 1871 U.S. expedition to Korea made the nation vulnerable to external forces like Japan, China and Russia, who had wanted to seize control of Joseon for a long time. In 1894, the entire nation was engulfed in the Donghak Peasant Revolution. The following year, Empress Myeongseong was brutally assassinated by the Japanese. Gojong’s political power and leadership were often questioned because he was at the center of this tumultuous period.

But he is also known to have spared no effort to modernize Joseon. To pave the way for the nation’s modernization, Gojong abolished social stratification and conservatism by implementing reforms in 1884 and establishing public schools to promote education. After the death of Empress Myeongseong, Gojong sought refuge at the Russian consulate for one year to think about ways to restore his country. In 1897, he returned to his royal palace and proclaimed the Korean Empire, which signified Joseon’s liberation from foreign intervention. In 1900, the Korean Empire showcased its cultural legacy at an international exhibition in Paris to publicize Korea to the world. In 1904, Japan won the Russo-Japanese War and forced the Korean Empire to sign the Protectorate Treaty, which deprived Korea of its diplomatic rights.

Dispatch of envoys to Hague
In April 1907, Gojong secretly dispatched three envoys to Hague, the Netherlands to ask for international help in regaining Korea’s independence and to let the world know about the illegitimacy of the Protectorate Treaty. But the three envoys were denied access to the venue of the Hague Convention because the Korean Empire did not have diplomatic rights. Back then, 45 nations that attended the convention thought of Korea as a small, powerless country. One of the envoys died in the Hague, while Emperor Gojong was forced to abdicate the throne. Gojong spent the remainder of his life in confinement in Deoksu Palace. He died unexpectedly in January 1919. His sudden death raised suspicions that he had been poisoned by the Japanese. It also greatly influenced the March 1 Independence Movement.


Forty-four years of efforts to realize an earnest wish
The primary purpose of the Korean Empire’s diplomatic policies was to protect the nation’s diplomatic rights. But the Korean Empire had little power to protect its sovereignty and eventually fell victim to Japanese colonial rule. But there is no doubt that the 13-year history of the Korean Empire set the stage for Korea’s modernization. During this period, diverse products of western civilization were introduced in Korea, such as ownership rights, education, medicine, postal services, architecture and railways. Historians have uncovered a great deal of evidence that Gojong was determined to modernize his country and deserved more credit for his great achievements.