The Hullyŏndae () was an infantry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

Joseon Army The Joseon Army () was the army of the Korean dynasty of Joseon (1392–1897). The army defended the northern borders but seldom defended the southern regions. The army was best known for fending off the Jurchen raids and conquering the Korean Pen ...

established under

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

direction as a part of the second

Gabo Reform The Kabo Reform () describes a series of sweeping reforms suggested to the government of Korea, beginning in 1894 and ending in 1896 during the reign of Gojong of Korea in response to the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Historians debate the degre ...

in 1895, the 32nd year 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 ...

's reign. On January 17 in the same year, Japanese legation minister

Inoue Kaoru Marquess Inoue Kaoru (井上馨, January 16, 1836 – September 1, 1915) was a Japanese politician and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy during the Meiji period of the Empire of Japan. As one of the senior statesmen ('' Genrō'') in ...

suggested the king found a new regiment of royal guards. This elite regiment, trained and equipped by the Japanese, were officered by members of the old Joseon army. The regiment consisted of three

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s and a

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

company, totalling about 1,000 Soldiers. The first battalion was commanded by Major

Woo Beomseon Woo, or variants, may refer to: People * Wu (surname), and several variants and other transliterations ** Wu (surname 伍) ** Wu (surname 武) ** Ng (name): 吳, 伍 * Hu (surname), also pronounced Woo * Woo (Korean surname) * Woo (Korean give ...

. The second battalion was commanded by Major Yi Doohwang, and the third battalion was commanded by Major Yi Jinho. All three officer had participated in military operations against peasant rebels in

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 ...

and Chinese forces in 1894–1895. The regiment was composed of the most modernised elements of the Joseon Army. Convinced that

Queen Min 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 ...

was conspiring with the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

to bring Russian troops into the country, the regiment attacked the Imperial Palace on 8 October 1895, allowing a group of Japanese

rōnin In feudal Japan to early modern Japan (1185–1868), a ''rōnin'' ( ; , , 'drifter' or 'wandering man', ) was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a ''rō ...

to assassinate the Empress. They were dissolved on September 13, 1895. Major Woo Beomseon, the leader of the attack on the Palace, escaped to Japan, where he married a Japanese woman named SAKAI Naka and sired

Woo Jang-Choon Woo Jang-chun, U Nagaharu in Japanese, (April 8, 1898 – August 10, 1959) was an agricultural scientist and botanist active in Korea under Japanese rule and later in South Korea, famous for his discoveries in the genetics and breeding of plants ...

in April of 1898. On November 24, 1903, Major Woo was assassinated with a knife by GO YeongGeun, sent to kill him by

Emperor Gwangmu Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 1907, first as the last king ...

References

Military history of Korea Japan–Korea relations 1895 establishments in Korea {{Korea-stub 1895 disestablishments in Korea

See also

References