Eulmi Incident

Eulmi Incident
Name	Eulmi Incident
Native name	을미사변
Date	1895 (Gregorian 1895-10-08 / lunar 1895-08-20)
Location	Gyeongbokgung, Hanseong (present-day Seoul)
Also known as	Eulmi Purge
Participants	Min Yeong-ik faction, Miura Gorō faction, Heungseon Daewongun supporters, Queen Min opponents
Outcome	Assassination of Empress Myeongseong, increased Japanese influence in Korea, diplomatic crises involving Russia, China (Qing dynasty)

Eulmi Incident

The Eulmi Incident was an 1895 political assassination and palace coup in Korea that resulted in the death of Empress Myeongseong and a decisive shift in Joseon dynasty politics toward Japanese Empire dominance. The incident occurred amid competing factions including pro-Russian Empire and pro-Japanese Empire elements, intersecting with personalities such as Heungseon Daewongun, Min Young-hwan, and Ito Hirobumi's contemporaries. International reactions involved Li Hongzhang, Tsar Alexander III, and Western diplomats based in Incheon and Busan.

Background

Tensions before the incident traced through the aftermath of the Imo Incident (1882), the Gapsin Coup (1884), and the Donghak Peasant Revolution (1894), which had drawn interventions by Qing dynasty and Empire of Japan. The Korean Empire's court became a battleground among pro-Russian Empire conservatives, pro-Japanese Empire reformers, and royalist factions aligned with Heungseon Daewongun. Empress Myeongseong sought diplomatic ties with Russia and hosted envoys from Nicholas II's predecessors, prompting alarm among Meiji Japan policymakers including figures associated with Miura Gorō and Itō Hirobumi. The 1894 First Sino-Japanese War and ensuing Treaty of Shimonoseki altered regional power balances, while domestic actors such as Min Yeong-ik and members of the Hwaseong clan maneuvered for court influence. Foreign legations in Hanseong—including representatives from United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, and Russia—watched escalating palace intrigues and competing military deployments by Japanese legation guards and Chinese or Russian military advisors.

Events of the Incident

On the night targeted, armed agents associated with Miura Gorō and elements of the Japanese legation entered Gyeongbokgung palace precincts, coordinating with domestic allies sympathetic to Heungseon Daewongun's cause. The attackers confronted palace retainers, including members of the Min clan and royal bodyguards, and seized control of private quarters occupied by Empress Myeongseong. Chaos spread between the Geoncheonggung and Gyeonghoeru wings as combatants moved through corridors known from earlier court conflicts recorded during the Gapsin Coup. Accounts from foreign observers—such as officials from the United States Legation in Korea, the British Legation, and the Russian legation in Seoul—described forced removal, arson, and violent altercations with servants and retainers of the Joseon court. Reports at the time implicated named conspirators including Miura Gorō, local collaborators from the Min family, and soldiers operating under orders linked to officers from the Imperial Japanese Army stationed in Korea.

Casualties and Immediate Aftermath

The primary casualty was Empress Myeongseong, whose death sparked outrage among pro-Russian and conservative Korean elites. Other victims included palace attendants and retainers belonging to the Min clan and members of the palace staff; some accounts list fatalities and numerous injuries. Following the assassination, many of the Queen's relatives and political allies sought refuge at the Russian legation in Seoul, prompting diplomatic protection claims reminiscent of earlier asylum incidents involving foreign legations. The incident precipitated the withdrawal of some Japanese military forces briefly, while prompting reinforcement by Japanese government envoys and intensified maneuvers by Itō Hirobumi and Tokyo-based decision-makers. International press in Shanghai, Tokyo, and Saint Petersburg covered the event extensively, influencing immediate policy debates in capitals such as Beijing, Tokyo, and St. Petersburg.

Investigations and Legal Proceedings

Domestic inquiries into the killings were constrained by Japanese Empire influence and by the disarray of court institutions within the Korean Empire. Formal investigations conducted by mixed delegations of foreign diplomats, including representatives from United Kingdom, Russia, United States, and Japan, produced competing narratives. Legal proceedings in Seoul and diplomatic protests lodged in Tokyo generated exchanges involving officials such as Itō Hirobumi and Japanese military commanders; however, prosecutions of suspected Japanese perpetrators were limited and largely inconclusive. The Japanese Diet and diplomatic circles debated responsibility while figures like Miura Gorō faced domestic scrutiny in Japan but avoided significant conviction at the time. International arbitration efforts and pressure from envoys such as John F. Corbett-type intermediaries failed to secure full accountability, leaving lingering demands at forums in London and Saint Petersburg.

Political and Social Impact

Politically, the assassination accelerated pro-Japanese Empire domination of Korean affairs, paving the way for subsequent treaties and interventions culminating in the 1905 Eulsa Treaty and 1910 Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty processes. The event deepened factionalism among Korean elites including the Min family, supporters of Heungseon Daewongun, and reformist figures like Kim Hong-jip and Park Young-hyo. Socially, the killing galvanized resistance movements that later included activists connected to the Korean independence movement, and prompted migration and activism among Koreans in Manchuria and Russian Far East communities. Internationally, the incident degraded Meiji Japan's diplomatic standing among Western powers and contributed to heightened tensions in Northeast Asia involving Qing officials and Tsarist diplomats.

Memory and Legacy

Memory of the incident persists in Korean historiography, memorials at former palace sites, and cultural works referencing figures such as Empress Myeongseong and the Min family. Historians in South Korea and Japan—including scholars at Seoul National University, University of Tokyo, and research institutes in Saint Petersburg—debate sources like contemporary diplomatic reports, memoirs of Japanese officers, and Korean court chronicles. The episode features in museum exhibits at sites including Gyeongbokgung and in literature and film portrayals that engage personalities like Heungseon Daewongun and Itō Hirobumi. Ongoing scholarship examines links between the incident and later legal instruments such as the Protectorate Treaty (1905), while public commemorations draw activists, descendants of court families, and international observers to ceremonies that reflect divergent interpretations across Seoul and Tokyo.

Category:History of Korea