The Korean

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 ...

dynasty (1392–1897) sent numerous diplomatic missions to the Chinese

Ming The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, t ...

(1368–1644) and

Qing 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 ...

(1644–1912) dynasties.

Joseon diplomacy

A series diplomatic ventures illustrate the persistence of Joseon's ''

sadae () is a Korean term which is used in pre-modern contexts.Armstrong, Charles K. (2007). is a Confucian concept, based on filial piety, that describes a reciprocal hierarchical relationship between a senior and a junior, such as a tributary rela ...

'' (serving the great) diplomacy in dealings with China. The chronology of one side in a bilateral relationship stands on its own. This long-term, strategic policy contrasts with the ''

gyorin Gyorin (lit. "neighborly relations") was a neo-Confucian term developed in Joseon Dynasty, Joseon Korea. The term was intended to identify and characterize a diplomatic policy which establishes and maintains amicable relations with neighboring st ...

'' (''kyorin'') (neighborly relations) diplomacy in dealings with Jurchen,

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 ...

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of Ming dynasty, imperial Ming China by the King of Ryukyu, Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island t ...

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. Gyorin was applied to a multi-national foreign policy. The unique nature of these bilateral diplomatic exchanges evolved from a conceptual framework developed by the Chinese. Gradually, the theoretical models would be modified, mirroring the evolution of a unique relationship.

Envoys to the Ming court

Although the

Joseon Dynasty 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 ...

considered 1392 as the foundation of the Joseon kingdom, Imperial China did not immediately acknowledge the new government on the Korean peninsula. In 1401, the Ming court recognized Joseon as a tributary state in its sino-centric schema of foreign relations. In 1403, the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, personal name Zhu Di, was the third List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 142 ...

conveyed a patent and a gold seal to

Taejong of Joseon Taejong (; 16 May 1367 – 10 May 1422), personal name Yi Pangwŏn (), was the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of Sejong the Great. He was the fifth son of King Taejo, the founder of the dynasty. Before ascending ...

, thus confirming his status and that of his dynasty.Kang, Etsuko H. (1997)
''Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century,'' p. 49.
/ref> Despite the label "tributary state", China did not interfere in Joseon domestic affairs and diplomacy. Between 1392 and 1450, the Joseon court sent 351 missions to China. * 1592 – Confronting Japanese invasion, Joseon sought aid from China. * 1597 –

Yi Su-gwang Yi Sugwang (; 1563–1628), also known as Lee Soo-kwang, was a Korean sarim, a military official, and a diplomat of the Joseon period. He was also an academic and an encyclopedist who compiled the '' Jibong Yuseol,'' the earliest Korean encyclo ...

was the Joseon chief envoy from the Joseon court.

Envoys to the Qing court

In this period, Joseon merchants of

Gaeseong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close ...

and Hanyang competed for profits; and they even accompanied the envoy missions to China in their search for new opportunities for financial gain. * 1795 – The first and only American to be received in the court of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

took special note of the reception of Joseon ambassadors, who were received immediately preceding the Dutch embassy in which

Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest (1 November 1739 in Werkhoven – 8 July 1801 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch-American merchant who is mostly known for his participation in the last Netherlands, Dutch embassy to China under the tribute, tributary ...

had a role. * 1872 – Park Gyu-su was the Joseon chief envoy to the court of the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), also known by his temple name Emperor Muzong of Qing, personal name Zaichun, was the ninth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, w ...

, offering congratulations.

Korean Empire

In 1897, the Chinese and Korean Empire agreed that the latter would established a permanent embassy in Beijing. The Korean legation was short-lived and only existed from 1903 to 1905, when it was terminated by effect of the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, also known as the Eulsa Treaty, was made between delegates of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1905. Negotiations were concluded on November 17, 1905. The treaty deprived Korea of its diplomatic s ...

Notes

References

* Daehwan, Noh
"The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century,"
''Korea Journal'' (Winter 2003). * Kang, Etsuko Hae-jin. (1997). ''Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century.'' Basingstoke, Hampshire; Macmillan. ; * Kang, Jae-eun and Suzanne Lee. (2006). ''The Land of Scholars : Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism.'' Paramus, New Jersey: Homa & Sekey Books.
OCLC 60931394
* Kim, Chun-gil. (2005). ''The history of Korea.'' Westport, Connecticut:

Greenwood Publishing Group Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG) was an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which was part of ABC-Clio. Since 2021, ABC-Clio and its suite of imprints, including GPG, are collectively imprints of ...

. ; ; * Toby, Ronald P. (1991)
''State and Diplomacy in Early Modern Japan: Asia in the Development of the Tokugawa Bakufu.''
Stanford:

Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It is currently a member of the Ass ...