The Gaehwa Party () was a Korean liberal and

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

party founded after the

Imo Incident The Imo Incident, also sometimes known as the Imo Mutiny, Soldier's riot or Jingo-gunran in Japanese, was a violent uprising and riot in Seoul beginning on July 23, 1882, by soldiers of the Joseon Army who were later joined by disaffected member ...

. They were also called the Independence Party of Joseon, the Innovation Party of Joseon, and the Reformist Faction. They tried to cut off the submissive relationship Korea had to the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

and were opposed to what they called the ''Sadae'' Party (), a group supporting

Empress Myeongseong Empress Myeongseong or Empress Myungsung (명성황후 민씨; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895In lunar calendar, the Empress was born on 25 September 1851 and died on 20 August 1895), informally known as Empress Min, was the official wife ...

and the Qing dynasty. They reformed domestic affairs, emulating the Empire of Japan's

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...

. They were also the organization that tried to found an independent Joseon nation. The central figures of this party were Kim Ok-gyun, Hong Yeong-sik,

Seo Jae-pil Soh Jaipil or Seo Jae-pil (January 7, 1864 – January 5, 1951), also known as Philip Jaisohn, was a Korean- American political activist and physician who was a noted champion of the Korean independence movement, the first Korean naturalized ...

and

Seo Gwang-bum Seo or SEO may refer to: * Search engine optimization, the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines Organisations * SEO Economic Research, a scientific institute * Spanish Ornithological Society (''Socied ...

. The Conservative Party also participated in enlightening/educational movements, and the Enlightenment Party was also called the ''Radical Reformist Faction'' to distinguish between them. The Enlightenment Party orchestrated the Gapsin Coup after the Sino–French War with the promise of advice and support of , the Japanese minister to Korea. Ultimately, the coup d'état was crushed by the Qing army, so Enlightenment Party members, such as Kim Ok-gyun, Bak Yeonghyo,

, among others, sought asylum in Japan or the United States. In 1894, the Japanese occupied Seoul restored King Gojong's father, Heungseon Daewongun, and established a pro-Japanese government under Kim Hong-jip and the Enlightenment Party's administration. They organized three cabinets; their politics were partially supported by the Japanese, indirectly resulting in them aiding and abetting Japan's influence. However, with the rise in popularity of the pro-Russian faction, the Enlightenment Party collapsed. After the establishment of the Korean Empire, the Gaehwa Party made policy which tried to stop the interruption of Japan.

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