The Great Iron Lady

The waning years of the Joseon Dynasty were tumultuous. Externally the Hermit Kingdom was under pressure from Japan, China, Russia, and even western countries to open up and internally it was suffering from political fractions and chaos. This was the time when Empress Myeongseong was selected to wed King Gojong.

Unlike former Joseon queens, who, even when gifted with political shrewdness wielded power behind their sons or grandsons, Empress Myeongseong carved out a unique place for herself in Korean history as an independent-minded and capable politician and diplomat, who pushed for openness and reform based on her wisdom and insight.

Empress Myeongseong was born as Min Ja-yeong, daughter of Min Chi-rok, in Gyeonggi Province in 1851. Her father died when she was only eight and she was raised by her mother, but her intelligence made her the darling of her family and hometown. One of her relatives was particularly interested in her. That was her aunt Min, the wife of Prince Heungseon and mother of King Gojong. At the time her husband was ruling as regent for her young son and wielding immeasurable power.

Prince Heungseon was worried about the excessive meddling of the kings’ in-laws in the past and was looking for a future queen who would not bring any relatives to interfere in his policies. Prince Heungseon’s wife found the perfect candidate who fit that requirement and recommended the young Min Ja-yeong for her son’s wife when she turned 16.

It was proclaimed in 1866 that Min Ja-yeong would be Joseon’s 26th queen and on March 22th she was presented to the court as the future wife of King Gojong. She was only 14 and a half years old when her life as a queen began.

Rising Up to Defend Her Country

A number of records about Empress Myeongseong survive all over the world. British geologist Isabella Bishop, who stayed in Joseon near the end of the dynasty, described her as having cold and steely eyes and a witty and intellectual personality. An American diplomat at the U.S. Consulate wrote that the empress was a great politician who transcended the limitations of gender and time. Japanese Consul General Miura also expressed his admiration and caution by writing that when he saw her give advice to the king from behind the bamboo curtain, the queen appeared very talented and flawless. But Empress Myeongseong did not set out to become an influential political figure from the beginning.

Even after the wedding, King Gojong spurned his wife, because he was in love with a court lady. The queen spent her lonely days reading an extensive array of books. Her reading helped build her intellect and insight, which proved to be quite handy when she aided her husband in political matters later on.

She had two sons, but both died young. She grew apart from her father in law, Prince Heungseon, when he ordered inappropriate medication for his sickly grandchild. Apparently, she grew sick of Prince Heungseon’s tyrannical involvement in everything from political matters to family affairs.

To make matters worse, the public was turning against Prince Heungseon around this time, opposing his heavy-handed and heedless policies, such as rebuilding Gyeongbok Palace and closing the country to foreign influences. Finally in 1873 King Gojong ousted his father from power by proclaiming autonomous governance.

The Last Flame of the Joseon Dynasty

Having gained independent power, King Gojong opened the country, forming diplomatic relations with Japan and western countries. But he still had to contend with pro-Heungseon forces and the ambitions of Japan and other countries to invade Korea. Then in 1882 a military uprising erupted, forcing the queen to abandon the palace to escape from the rebellious old guards. But she used her diplomatic brains and asked China for assistance to seize the throne again. When the British Navy illegally occupied Geomun Island in 1885, she sent a German envoy to Japan to negotiate the British Navy’s withdrawal. When Japan began to get involved deeply in Joseon politics, the queen realized Japan’s ambition to take over the sovereignty of Joseon and blatantly opposed Japan by befriending Russia.

The 19th century was a time when major powers like Japan, China, and Russia were embroiled in territorial expansion schemes. To survive, a small country like Joseon had to carefully toe the line and use the dissentions among powerful countries to its advantage. That took political finesse, and Empress Myeongseong had enough courage and political cunning to keep the country from falling into the hands of foreign powers. But Japan considered Empress Myeongseong the greatest obstacle to its domination of Joseon and sent assassins to the palace to kill the queen on August 20th, 1895.

The unprecedented assassination of a ruling monarch by foreign assassins galvanized the Korean people to seek revenge, and their resistance to Japanese influence later led to Korea’s independence movement. King Gojong declared Korea as the Korean Empire in 1897 and Empress Myeongseong became the symbol of Joseon sovereignty and fueled people’s desire for freedom and independence.