The Geomun Island incident or the Port Hamilton incident was the military occupation of Geomundo (formerly "Port Hamilton"),

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, by the British

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from 15 April 1885 to 27 February 1887.

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had intended to use the island as a coaling station. While the British government was alarmed by rumors of a secret agreement between Russia and Korea, these rumors did not reach the British Cabinet until after the decision to occupy Geomundo had been taken.Lensen, G. A. (1989) ''Balance of Intrigue: International Rivalry in Korea & Manchuria, 1884–1899''. University Press of Florida (2 Vols.). Vol. 1: p. 54. The port was taken to establish a British port in the Far East outside China in the event of a war with Russia, to mitigate the harmful potential of possible Chinese neutrality. In official statements, the British government claimed that the occupation had been undertaken to preempt Russian annexation of the islands. In response, diplomats such as the then French minister to

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and newspapers such as the ''Novoe Vremiya'' speculated that Russia would counterbalance the British occupation by seizing Port Lazarev (

Wonsan Wonsan (), previously known as Wonsanjin (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwon Province (North Korea), Kangwon Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

) or

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

. Russia threatened to occupy parts of Korea, in response to British actions. After receiving assurances from the Russians that they would not occupy any part of Korea, the British withdrew. The proposal to occupy the islands had been considered earlier by the

British Cabinet The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of the Government of the United Kingdom. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the Prime Minister and its members include Secretaries of State and senior Mini ...

, in July 1875, but was rejected by Foreign Secretary Lord Derby as setting a poor precedent.

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ENGLAND'S NEW EASTERN PORT.

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27 November 1885 19th-century military history of the United Kingdom International maritime incidents Diplomatic incidents Conflicts in 1885 Korea–United Kingdom relations Russia–United Kingdom relations Great Game Punitive expeditions of the United Kingdom Battles and conflicts without fatalities 1885 in Korea Battles involving Joseon {{Korea-hist-stub

See also

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