The Kabo Reform () describes a series of sweeping reforms suggested to the government of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, beginning in 1894 and ending in 1896 during the reign of

Gojong of Korea Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate List of monarchs of Korea, Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 19 ...

in response to the

Donghak Peasant Revolution The Donghak Peasant Revolution () was a peasant revolt that took place between 11 January 1894 and 25 December 1895 in Korea. The peasants were primarily followers of Donghak, a Neo-Confucian movement that rejected Western technology and i ...

. Historians debate the degree of Japanese influence in this program, as well as its effect in encouraging modernization. The term ''Kabo'' () comes from the name of the year 1894 in the traditional

sexagenary cycle The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...

.Kabo Reforms
at Nate Britannica Korea

Background

The disarray and blatant corruption in the Korean government, particularly in the three main areas of revenues –

land tax A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land without regard to buildings, personal property and other improvements upon it. Some economists favor LVT, arguing it does not cause economic inefficiency, and helps reduce economic inequali ...

, military service, and the state granary system – weighed heavily on the Korean peasantry. Of special note is the corruption of the local functionaries (''Hyangi'') who could purchase an appointment as administrators and cloak their predations on the farmers with an aura of officialdom.

Yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon period. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil officials and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats wh ...

families, formerly well-respected for their status as a noble class, were increasingly seen as little more than commoners who were unwilling to meet their responsibilities to their communities. Faced with increasing corruption in the government,

brigandage Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded ...

of the disenfranchised (such as the mounted fire brigands, or '' Hwajok'', and the boat-borne water brigands or ''Sujok'') as well as abuse by the military, many poor villagers sought to pool their resources such as land, tools, and production skills in order to survive. Despite the government abolishing slavery and burning the records in 1801, increasing numbers of peasants and farmers become involved in "mutual assistance associations". Institutions such as the Catholic and Protestant missions, with the egalitarian nature of their teachings garnered followings among the Yangban, though commonly in the more urban areas. Arguably of greater influence were the religious teachings of

Choe Je-u Choe Je-u (; 18 December 1824 – 15 April 1864), art name Su-un (), was a Korean religious leader. He was the founder of Donghak, a religious movement which was empathetic to the hardships of the '' minjung'' (the marginalized people of Korea), ...

, (최제우, 崔濟愚, 1824–1864) called

Donghak Donghak () was an academic movement in Korean Neo-Confucianism founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. The Donghak movement arose as a reaction to seohak (), and called for a return to the "Way of Heaven". While Donghak originated as a reform movement ...

or "Eastern Learning" which became especially popular in rural areas. Themes of exclusionism (of foreign influences),

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

, salvation, and social consciousness were promoted to allow illiterate farmers to understand the concepts and accept them more readily. Choi, like many Koreans, was alarmed by the intrusion of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and the Anglo-French occupation of Beijing during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

. He believed that the best way to counter foreign influence in Korea was to introduce democratic and human rights reforms internally. Nationalism and social reform struck a chord among the peasant guerrillas, and

spread all across Korea. Progressive revolutionaries organized the peasants into a cohesive structure. Arrested in 1863 following the Chinju Uprising led by Yu Kye-cheun, Choi was charged with "misleading the people and sowing discord in society". Choi was beheaded in 1864, sending many of his followers into hiding in the mountains and leaving the Korean populace to continue to suffer. King Gojong (r. 1864–1910), enthroned at the age of twelve, succeeded King Cheolchong (r. 1849 – 1863). King Gojong's father,

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (; 24 January 1821 – 22 February 1898) was the title of Yi Ha-eung, the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s. Until his death, he was a key political figure of late Joseon Korea. He was also ca ...

(Yi Ha-Ung; 1820–1898), ruled as the ''de facto'' regent and inaugurated far-ranging reform to strengthen the central administration. Among his targeted reforms was addressing the inherited rule by a few elite ruling families by the adoption of a merit system for official appointments. In addition, ''Seowon'' (private academies), which threatened to develop a parallel system to the corrupt government and enjoyed special privileges and large land-holdings, were repressed through taxes despite bitter opposition from Confucian scholars. The decision to rebuild palace buildings and finance it through additional levies on the population caused

's attempted reforms to antagonize the three largest constituencies supporting the government: the ruling elite, the Confucian scholars, and the general population.

was impeached in 1873 and forced into retirement by the supporters of

Empress Myeongseong Empress Myeongseong (; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895) was the official wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and the first emperor of the Korean Empire. During her lifetime, she was known by the name Queen Min (). After the founding o ...

. On 27 February 1876, the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876 (also known as the Japan–Korea Treaty of Amity in Japan and the Treaty of Ganghwa Island in Korea) was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Joseon, Kingdom of Joseon in 1876.Chung, Young ...

, also known in Japan as the Japanese-Korean Treaty of Amity (, ) was signed. It was designed to open up Korea to Japanese trade, and the rights granted to Japan under the treaty were similar to those granted to European powers in Japan following the visit of

Commodore Matthew Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan ...

in 1854. However, the treaty ended Korea's status as a protectorate of China, forced open three Korean ports to Japanese trade, granted

extraterritorial rights Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries. Any authority can claim ETJ over any external territory they wish. However, for the claim to be effective in the external ...

to Japanese citizens, and was an

unequal treaty The unequal treaties were a series of agreements made between Asian countries—most notably Qing dynasty, Qing China, Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Japan and Joseon, Joseon Korea—and Western countries—most notably the United Kingdom of Great ...

signed under

duress Coercion involves compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner through the use of threats, including threats to use force against that party. It involves a set of forceful actions which violate the free will of an individual in order to i ...

of the Unyo Incident of 1875 (

gunboat diplomacy Gunboat diplomacy is the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to the superior force. The term originated in ...

). Daewongun remained opposed to any concessions to Japan or the Western Europeans, helped organize the mutiny of 1882

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 in 1882, by soldiers of the Joseon Army who were later joined by disaffected members of the ...

, an anti-Japanese outbreak against the Empress and her allies.Marius B. Jansen (April 1989). The Cambridge History of Japan Volume 5 The Nineteenth Century. Cambridge University Press . Motivated by resentment of the preferential treatment given to newly trained troops, Daewongun's forces, or "old military", killed Japanese training cadre and attacked the Japanese

legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legation ...

. Japanese diplomats,Japanese Cabinet Meeting document Nov, 1882
p.6 left 陸軍外務両者上申故陸軍工兵中尉堀本禮造外二名並朝鮮国二於テ戦死ノ巡査及公使館雇ノ者等靖国神社ヘ合祀ノ事 policemen,Japanese Cabinet Meeting document Nov, 1882
p.2 left studentsJapanese Cabinet Meeting document Nov, 1882
and some Min clan members were also killed during the incident. Daewongun was restored to power briefly, only to be forcibly taken to China by Chinese troops dispatched to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

to prevent further disorder. In August 1882, the Treaty of Chemulpo (

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1882 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1882, also known as the Treaty of Chemulpo or the ''Chemulpo Convention,'' was negotiated between Japan and Korea following the Imo Incident in July 1882.Takenobu, Yoshitaro. (1887). ; excerpt, "''Korea agreed in the ...

) indemnified the families of the Japanese victims, paid reparation to the Japanese government in the amount of 500,000 yen and allowed a company of Japanese guards to be stationed at the Japanese legation in Seoul. The struggle between Heungseon Daewongun's followers and those of Empress Myeongseong was further complicated by competition from a Korean independence faction known as the Progressive Party (Kaehwadang) as well as Conservative faction. While the former sought Japan's support, the latter sought China's support. On 4 December 1884, the Korean independence group, assisted by the Japanese , attempted a coup ( Kapsin Chongbyon; Coup d'État of 1884) and established a pro-Japanese government under the reigning king, dedicated to the independence of Korea from Chinese suzerainty. However, this proved to be short-lived as conservative Korean officials requested the help of Chinese forces stationed in Korea. The coup was put down by Chinese troops, and a Korean mob killed both Japanese officers and Japanese residents in retaliation. Some leaders of the independence faction, including

Kim Okgyun Kim Okkyun (; February 23, 1851 – March 28, 1894) was a Korean scholar-bureaucrat of the late Joseon period. He was a member of the reformist Gaehwa Party. He served under King Gojong of Joseon, Gojong, and actively participated to advance W ...

, fled to Japan, while others were executed.

Donghak revolution, and first Sino-Japanese war, 1894

The outbreak of the

in 1894 provided a seminal pretext for direct military intervention by Japan in the affairs of Korea. Seeking redressal of long-standing hardship and corruption, disparate factions among the Korean peasant population coalesced into a militant force and revolted against the Korean administration. In April 1894, the Korean government asked for Chinese assistance in ending the Donghak Peasant Revolt. In response, Japanese leaders, citing a violation of

Convention of Tientsin The , also known as the Tianjin Convention, was an agreement signed by the Qing Empire of China and the Empire of Japan in Tientsin, China on 18 April 1885. It was also called the "Li-Itō Convention". Following the Gapsin Coup in Joseon in 188 ...

as a pretext, decided upon military intervention to challenge China. China requested Japan to withdraw her troops; Japan refused and proposed that the Qing and Japan co-ordinate to reform the Korean government. The Qing refused. On 3 May 1894, 1,500 Qing dynasty forces appeared in

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

. The same day, 6,000 Japanese forces also landed in Incheon leading to the Sino-Japanese War. Japan deposed the Korean government and installed a new government which demanded the Qing leave, and began a programme of reform. Japan won the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

, and China signed the

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China or the in Japan, was signed at the hotel in Shimonoseki, Japan, on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China. It was a treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War, ...

in 1895. Among its many stipulations, the treaty recognized "the full and complete independence and autonomy of Korea," thus ending Korea's

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

relationship with the Chinese Qing Dynasty, leading to the proclamation of full independence of Joseon Korea in 1895. At the same time, Japan suppressed the Donghak Revolution with Korean government forces. Though the revolt had ended, issues and complaints of the Korean peasant population remained un-addressed.

Reforms

The reforms were largely accomplished in three stages, according to the changing members of the reform council and the involvement of Japan.

First reforms

The first reforms took place from July to October 1894, based on the original reform bill presented by the Japanese ambassador,

Ōtori Keisuke Baron was a Japanese military leader and diplomat.Perez, Louis G. (2013)"Ōtori Keisuke"in ''Japan at War: An Encyclopedia,'' p. 304. Biography Early life and education Ōtori Keisuke was born in Akamatsu Village, in the Akō domain of Harim ...

(). Previously, the reform bill had been refused by the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

court and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. As Japan was focused more on the Sino-Japanese War, many of the first reforms reflected the desired reforms of the progressive council members and some of the reforms demanded by the peasants of the

did not go unheard. The deliberate Council passed 210 reform bills by

Kim Hong-jip Kim Hong-jip (; 1842 – February 11, 1896) was a Korean politician best known for his role as prime minister during the Kabo Reform period from 1895–1896. His name was originally Kim Goeng-jip () which he later changed to Kim Hong-jip ...

. At the first stage of reform, there was little interference from Japan. Two-hundred and ten articles were established, most notable was the restructuring of central government by reducing the king's responsibilities and placing more power in the ''

Uijeongbu Uijeongbu (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is the tenth-most populous city in the province and a suburb of Seoul within the greater Seoul Metropolitan Area. History Uijeongbu was estab ...

''. The ''gwageo'' system was abolished and replaced by a Japanese bureaucratic system. The administration of financial affairs were centralized, the taxation system redressed, a new monetary system allowed the use of Japanese currency, and the measurement system was changed to that of Japan. Other social reforms were addressed as well; discrimination based on the class system, slavery, underage marriage were banned, and widows were granted the right to remarry. These reforms would legally change the traditional feudal system that had been followed for hundreds of years.

Second reforms

The second state of reform took place from December 1894 to July 1895. Japan closed down the ''Gunguk Gimucheo'' in December 1894 as the outcome of the Sino-Japanese War was leaning to their favor and set up a new coalition cabinet consisting of

and Park Yung-hio. The cabinet presented a new law, ''Hongbeom 14jo'' (홍범 14조, "Exemplary Rules" 14 articles), which proclaimed the severance of the subordinate relationship with China, abolition of nepotism in government, and restructuring of government offices and their duties. With this law as the foundation, 213 new articles were created. The names of ''

'' and its subsidiaries were changed to the modern ''naegak'' (내각, cabinet) and ''bu'' (부, department). Administrative districts were reorganized to 23 ''bu''(부, region) and 337 ''gun''(군, district). New financial bureaus were installed throughout the nation to overlook tax affairs, military, and police systems were overhauled and modernized, judicial systems were changed with new courthouse and judiciary laws.Kabo Reforms
at Daum Britannica Korea The second reform measures were halted when Park Yung-hio, who had been at the center of the reform efforts, fled to Japan after being accused of conspiracy to treason by those who were against the reformations that were taking place.

Assassination of Queen Min, 1895

The Japanese minister to Korea,

Miura Gorō Viscount was a lieutenant general in the early Imperial Japanese Army; he is notable for orchestrating the murder of Queen Min of Korea in 1895. Biography Miura was born in Hagi in Chōshū Domain (modern Yamaguchi Prefecture), to a ''s ...

, orchestrated a plot against 43-year-old Queen Min (later given the title

),Characteristics of Queen of Korea
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' Nov 10, 1895 and on 8 October 1895, she was assassinated by Japanese agents. In 2001, Russian reports on the assassination were found in the archives of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation. The documents included the testimony of King Gojong, several witnesses of the assassination, and

Karl Ivanovich Weber Karl Ivanovich Weber (also Carl von Waeber; , , Liepāja – 8 January 1910) was a diplomat of the Russian Empire and a personal friend to King Gojong of Korea's Joseon Dynasty. He is best known for his 1885–1897 service as Russia's first cons ...

's report to

Aleksey Lobanov-Rostovsky Prince Aleksey Borisovich Lobanov-Rostovsky () ( in Voronezh Governorate – ) was a Russian politician, statesman, probably best remembered for having concluded the Li-Lobanov Treaty with China, the Peace of Constantinople (1879), Peace of Const ...

, the Foreign Minister of Russia. Weber was the

chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

at the Russian legation in Seoul at that time. According to a Russian eyewitness, Seredin-Sabatin (Середин-Cабатин), an employee of the Korean king, a group of Japanese agents entered

Gyeongbokgung Gyeongbokgung () is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1395, it was the first royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and is now one of the most significant tourist attractions in the country. The palace was among the first ...

, killed Queen Min and desecrated her body in the north wing of the palace. When he heard the news,

returned to the royal palace the same day. On 11 February 1896, King Gojong and the crown prince moved from Gyeongbokgung to the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n legation in

Jeong-dong Jeong-dong () is a legal '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It is governed by its administrative dong, Sogong-dong. It is an historical area with Deoksugung from the Joseon period and some of Korea's first modern sc ...

, Seoul, from where they governed for about one year, an event known as the

Korea royal refuge at the Russian legation King Gojong's internal exile to the Russian legation, also called the Agwan Pacheon incident (), occurred in 1896 in Korea when King Gojong and his crown prince left the Gyeongbokgung palace to take refuge at the Russian legation in Hanseong (Se ...

. After returning to the royal palace, the royal family was still guarded by Russian guards. In the midst of disarray in Joseon politics at this time, a series of

Seonbi ''Seonbi'' () were scholars during the Goryeo and Joseon periods of Korean history. They were generally seen as non-governmental servants of the public, who chose to pass on the benefits and authority of official power in order to develop and sha ...

scholars mobilized volunteers to fight against the external foreign influence on the government. This also led to the uprising of the Eulmi temporary armies aimed at avenging the assassination of Queen Min.

Third reforms

Spurred greatly by the assassination of the queen and subsequent unrest, the government, then led by a new progressive cabinet headed by

and

Yu Kil-chun Yu Kil-chun (; November 21, 1856 – September 30, 1914) was a Korean politician. Yu lived during the last few decades of Joseon and the Korean Empire, before the occupation of the peninsula by Japan. As a young man, he studied the Chinese cl ...

, carried out reforms from October 1895 to February 1896.Kabo Reforms
at

Doosan Encyclopedia ''Doosan Encyclopedia'' () is a Korean-language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be published in 1982 by Dong-A Publishing (). ...

''Korea through the Ages Vol. 2'' p40-p43 A special reform body, ''Gunguk Gimucheo'' (, Deliberative Council), was created to establish rules. Their policies resulted in the official discarding of the

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...

in favor of the modern Gregorian

solar calendar A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicates the season or almost equivalently the apparent position of the Sun relative to the stars. The Gregorian calendar, widely accepted as a standard in the world, is an example of a solar calendar ...

, the official designation of

regnal year A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

s independent of the Chinese tradition, the creation of a

postal service The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...

, the introduction of primary schools and a new educational system and the renewal of the military system. The most controversial reform at this time was the proclamation of the "Short Hair Act" (), i.e. cutting off the traditional Korean male ''sangtu'' and reformation of traditional attire. It triggered many protests among the people, most notably the conservative scholars, who were already disillusioned by the pro-Japanese cabinet. They had created the

Righteous Army Righteous armies (), sometimes translated as irregular armies or militias, were informal civilian militias that appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged d ...

and had actively protested nationwide, escalating after the assassination of Queen Myeongseong in 1895. After King Gojong and the

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

fled for refuge to the Russian legation in 1896, this opposition resulted in the murders of Kim Hong-jip and other cabinet members, and the reformations came to an end.

Main provisions of the Kabo Reform

The Kabo Reform was similar to the

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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and produced the following sweeping changes and declarations: # Korea is a sovereign country (i.e., completely independent from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

's external interference). # Hierarchical society (

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

system) is abolished. Social privileges of the Yangban classes are eliminated. # Those with talent are to be allowed to study and appointed to government posts based on merit alone, regardless of social class. # The army is to be established on the basis of conscription, regardless of background. A modern police force and military are established. # All official documents are to be written in

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

, and not

hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

(Chinese characters). #

Leather working Leather crafting or simply leathercraft is the practice of making leather into craft objects or works of art, using shaping techniques, coloring techniques or both. Techniques Dyeing The application of pigments carried by solvents or water i ...

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

, and so on are to no longer be regarded as degrading work, and the people who do them are no longer outcasts. # A sound system of fiscal management and to use the government's fiscal resources to create wealth for the country is developed. # Torture of suspects and witnesses was banned, guilt by association ended (punishment of family members of criminals). # End of merchant monopolies. # Ban of sale of slaves from 1886 confirmed, and all forms of legal slavery ended. # Marriage age raised to twenty for men and sixteen for women (outlawing child marriage).

Protests for democracy and the proclamation of Korean Empire, 1896–1898

After the Royal Refuge, some Korean activists established the

Independence Club The Independence Club (), alternate name Independence Association, was an organization that advocated for Korean independence. It operated between July 2, 1896 and December 25, 1898, and was founded and led by the prominent Korean independen ...

(독립협회, 獨立協會) in 1896. They claimed that Korea should negotiate with Western powers, particularly Russia, to counterbalance the growing influence of Japan and Russia. This club had contributed to the construction of

Independence Gate Independence Gate () or Dongnimmun is a memorial gate in Seoul, South Korea. It was built in January 1898. Its construction was planned by Philip Jaisohn, as a symbol of Korea's commitment to independence. It was designated as a Historic Site ...

, and they held regular meetings at the

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro () is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a part of Downtown Seoul and one of the most ...

streets, demanding democratic reforms as Korea became a constitutional monarchy, and an end to Japanese and Russian influence in Korean affairs. In October 1897, King Gojong decided to return to his other palace,

Deoksugung Deoksugung (), also called Deoksu Palace or Deoksugung Palace, is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. It was the first main palace of the 1897–1910 Korean Empire and is now a major tourist attraction. It has a mix of traditional Korea ...

, and proclaimed the founding of the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

. During this period, the Korean government conducted a westernization policy. It was not an enduring reform, however, and the Independence Club was dissolved on 25 December 1898 as

Emperor Gojong Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate List of monarchs of Korea, Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 19 ...

officially announced a prohibition on unofficial congresses.

References

Bibliography

Kabo Reforms
at Nate Britannica Korea
Kabo Reforms
at Daum Britannica Korea
Kabo Reforms
at

*The Academy of Korean Studies, ''Korea through the Ages Vol. 2'', The Editor Publishing Co., Seoul, 2005. * *Yu Kilchun, “Levels of enlightenment”, pp. 248–253 in Yôngho Ch'oe and Peter H. Lee eds., Sources of Korean Tradition, Vol. 2: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries *Young I. Lew, “Korean-Japanese Politics behind the Kabo-Ulmi Reform Movement, 1894 to 1896”, Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 3 (1981)

External links

+ {{Authority control 1894 in Korea 1895 in Korea Reform in Asia