Pak Chesun (; 7 December 1858 – 20 June 1916) was a

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 ...

n politician and diplomat during the late

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 ...

period. His

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

was P'yŏngjae ().Pak Chesun
In modern South Korea, he is regarded as 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 betrayed the country into Japanese domination in 1905.

Biography

Pak was born in

Yongin Yongin (; ) is a city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in th ...

, outside

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 ...

where his father was a minor government official and supporter of Kim Yunsik. His family's clan name is . In 1883, after passing the Korean Imperial Examination, he was sent to

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

. On October 9, 1898, he was promoted to the post of Foreign Minister, and it was in this capacity that he signed 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 ...

(also known as the "Eulsa Treaty"), which effectively deprived Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty and made it a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

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 ...

. On November 28, 1905 he became a Minister of State. Pak was the Prime Minister of the Korean Empire from 1905 to 1907 and again from 1909 to 1910. From 1907 to 1910, Pak served as Minister of the Interior under

Ye Wanyong Yi Wanyong (; 17 July 1858 – 12 February 1926), also spelled Lee Wan-yong or Ye Wan-yong, was a Korean politician who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Korea. He is best remembered for signing the Eulsa Treaty and the Japan–Korea Ann ...

. In this capacity, he signed 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 ...

, by which Korea was formally annexed by the Empire of Japan. Initially, all of the ministers were against signing the treaty. Pak even declared that he would rather commit suicide if Japan forced him to sign the treaty. However, under threat of execution, five of the ministers, including Pak, signed the treaty. On October 16, 1910, Pak received the

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''Daimyo, daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distin ...

peerage title of Viscount (shishaku) from the Japanese government and a seat in the House of Peers of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

. The treaty was very unpopular among the Korean public, leading to attacks on the ministers who signed it. The five ministers were named the "

". On December 6, 1910, one Korean Army soldier attempted to shoot Pak as he was entering the palace. Pak fled to the Japanese Legation, where he blamed

Deputy Ambassador A deputy chief of mission (DCM, in Europe the term deputy head of mission – DHoM or DHM is used instead) is the number-two diplomat assigned to an embassy or other diplomatic mission. The deputy chief of mission is usually considered the second ...

Hayashi Gonsuke for "making ima traitor to isown country". Pak then attempted to cut his own throat, but was stopped by Hayashi. Pak was subsequently sent to a hospital for treatment. He later served on the Central Advisory Institute of the

Government-General of Korea Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

. Under the ''

Special law to redeem pro-Japanese collaborators' property The Special Law to Redeem Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property () is a policy passed by the South Korean National Assembly on December 8, 2005, and enacted on December 29, 2005. Under this law, the South Korean government is able to seize land a ...

'' enacted in 2005, the property of the descendants of nine people who had collaborated when Korea was annexed by Japan was confiscated by the South Korean government.

Honours

Order of the Taegeuk Order of the Taegeuk was an order of chivalry of the Korean Empire that was given to military or civil officials. It was divided into eight classes. It was part of the establishments of orders on 17 April 1897. From 22 April 1897, order of the taege ...

3rd Class on 22 April 1900 *

Royal Order of the Lion Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Ro ...

3rd Class on 26 October 1901

References

External links

Pak Chesun

Pak Chesun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pak, Chesun 1858 births 1919 deaths People from Yongin Politicians from Gyeonggi Province Kazoku Korean collaborators with Imperial Japan Prime ministers of Korea Joseon politicians 19th-century Korean people Imperial Korean military personnel Lieutenant generals of Korean Empire Political office-holders of the Korean Empire

Biography

Honours

See also

References

External links