Empress Myeongseong

Who was 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. In 1902, she received the posthumous name Hyoja Wonsŏng Jŏnghwa Hapchŏn Honggong Sŏngdŏk Myŏngsŏng Taehwanghu, often abbreviated as Myŏngsŏng Hwanghu, meaning Empress Myeongseong.

The Meiji government of Japan considered her an obstacle against its overseas expansion. Efforts to remove her from the political arena, orchestrated through failed rebellions prompted by the father of King Gojong, Heungseon Daewongun, compelled the Empress to take a harsher stand against Japanese influence.

After Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, Queen Min advocated stronger ties between Korea and Russia in an attempt to block Japanese influence in Korea, which was represented by Daewongun. Miura Gorō, the Japanese Minister to Korea at that time and a retired army lieutenant-general, backed the faction headed by the Daewongun, whom he considered to be more sympathetic to Japanese interests.