Gwon Jung-hyeon ( November 27, 1854 – March 19, 1934), also spelled Kwon Jung-hyun, was an Imperial Korean Lieutenant General and Politician. He was the Minister of Justice from 1899 to 1910 and the Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry from 1905 to 1910. He is best known for being one of the

Five Eulsa Traitors The Five Eulsa Traitors () refers to the five officials serving under Emperor Gojong of Korea, Gojong who signed the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, which is also referred to as the Eulsa Treaty. The treaty made Korea a protectorate of Empire of Jap ...

who signed the Eulsa Treaty of 1905 which made 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 ...

a protectorate of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

. Because of his involvement in the Treaty, he was an unpopular figure in Korea and faced an assassination attempt in 1907 by an assassination group led by .

Biography

Gwon was born on November 27, 1854, at Yeongdong. Having learned Japanese from an early age, he joined the

Gaehwa Party The Kaehwa Party (), sometimes written as the Kaehwapa or Kaehwadang, was a liberal and progressive party in the Korean state Joseon. It was also called the Independence Party of Joseon, the Innovation Party of Joseon, and the Reformist Faction. ...

which was a pro-Japanese political party. In 1883, he became the secretary of the Toei Supervisory Office, and then the secretary in Japan. In 1891 he became the Customs Officer at

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, ...

and was involved in the signing of the Austria–Korea Treaty of 1892 with

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. After that, he successively held positions such as the ,

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative authority of China, headed by the Premier * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of S ...

and Vice President of , and in 1899 he was appointed Minister of Justice. As the Minister of Justice, Gwon led the execution of Gwon Hyeong-jin, and Ahn Gyeong-su. From 1901, he continued to be active in the military field, such as serving as a minister of military affairs. In 1902, he became the headmaster of the Military Academy of Korean Empire and then the head of the army court. At the dawn of the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, he was appointed as a greeting agent to greet

Itō Hirobumi Kazoku, Prince , born , was a Japanese statesman who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888, and later from 1892 to 1896, in 1898, and from 1900 to 1901. He was a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior state ...

. In 1904 he was promoted to Lieutenant General of the

Imperial Korean Army The Imperial Korean Armed Forces (대한제국군) was the military of the Korean Empire. History Foundation Succeeding the Joseon Army and Navy, the Gwangmu Reform reorganized the military into a modern western-style military. The foundatio ...

. Around this time, he also served as director of the president of the Railway Agency. In July 1904, Gwon was sent to

Liaoyang Liaoyang ( zh, s=辽阳 , t=遼陽 , p=Liáoyáng) is a prefecture-level city of east-central Liaoning province, China, situated on the Taizi River. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang, the provincial capital, by car. Liaoyang is hom ...

, and Lüshunkou District to console Japanese forces with Major

Cho Seung-guen Cho or CHO may refer to: People * Chief Happiness Officer * Chief Heat Officer Surnames * Cho (Korean surname), one romanization of the common Korean surname * Zhuo (), romanized Cho in Wade–Giles, Chinese surname * Cho, a Minnan romaniz ...

, and Captain

No Baek-rin No Paengnin () was an Imperial Korean army officer and independence activist. Life No was born on 15 February 1875 in Hwanghae Province. He studied traditional Korean studies. His father believed that his traits as soldier, showing up from h ...

. In January 1905, Gwon was appointed as the Minister of Military. On September 26, 1905, he was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry as a member of

Han Kyu-seol Han Kyu-seol (; 29 February 1848 – 22 September 1930) was a prime minister of Korean Empire when the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 was signed. Han opposed the treaty, but failed to prevent it from being signed. Biography Han was born on 29 Feb ...

's cabinet. On November 17, 1905, Gwon signed the Eulsa Treaty with four other ministers. He had previously opposed the signing of treaty, but when

was taken away by the Japanese because he also opposed the treaty, Gwon changed his stance and assented the signing. The five bureaucrats, including Gwon Jung-hyeon were shunned as later generations retrospectively title them the

. In 1907, there was an assassination attempt made on him by the Eulsa Five Bandit Assassination Group led by and and he was seriously injured in this attempt. He commanded his military units to put down these rebellions. In 1908, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

. When the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, also known as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, was made by representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire on 22 August 1910. In this treaty, Japan formally annexed Korea following the J ...

was signed, Kwon Jung Hyun was conferred the rank of First Class Viscount on October 16 and was listed among the Korean nobility. During the period of Japanese rule, he served as an advisor to the and an advisor to the

Korean History Compilation Committee Korean History Compilation Committee () was established in June 1925 by the Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under t ...

. In 1912, he received the Korea Annexation Commemorative Medal and was promoted to Senior Fifth Rank . In 1919, he submitted his resignation and resigned as an advisor to the Central House, but after that he requested the governor-general of Korea,

Makoto Saitō is a unisex Japanese name although it is more commonly used by males. As a noun, Makoto means "sincerity" (誠) or "truth" (真, 眞). People Given name * Makoto (musician) (born 1977), drum and bass artist *Makoto (Sharan Q) ( まこと), d ...

, to return, and in 1925 he was appointed as an advisor to the Korean History Compilation Committee. He was reinstated as an advisor to the Central House during the period of Governor-General Hanzō Yamanashi.第2巻』
斎藤子爵記念会, 1942) p. 789

Legacy

Gwon's legacy remains heavily controversial among the Korean populace as he was known as a collaborator with the Japanese forces. He was listed in the Korean History Compilation Committee's along with the other four Five Eulsa Traitors in 2002. He was also listed in the List of Pro-Japanese Groups by the Institute for Ethnic Issues in 2008 and in the by the . In 2007, the seized his property along with the property of his adopted son, . In a survey conducted on the lineage of nobility in 1960, his grandson was working at an Antique Art Association.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gwon, Jung-hyeon 1854 births 1934 deaths People from Yeongdong County Politicians from North Chungcheong Province Imperial Japanese Army officers Imperial Korean military personnel Koreans in the Imperial Japanese Army Lieutenant generals of Korean Empire Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun 19th-century Korean politicians 20th-century Korean politicians Joseon Kazoku