Gojong (1852–1919) was the 26th king and 1st emperor of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Hangul is the native alphabet used to write the Korean language (as opposed to the Hanja system borrowed from China). ... Hanja (lit. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Joseon Dynasty (alternatively, Choson or Chosun) is usually preceded with the title Great. The House of the Junju Yi-Shi, The Royal Family of the Joseon Dynasty, or Ishi Wangjo, was the final ruling Imperial dynasty of Korea, lasting from 1392 until 1910. ...

Gojong took the throne in 1863 when he was still a child. His father, Regent Heungseon (Daewon-gun), ruled for him until Gojong reached adulthood and ruled the country directly. It was during Daeweon-gun's reign that the main palace at Gyeongbokgung was restored as the seat of the royalty. 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Gyeongbokgung is a palace located in Seoul, South Korea. ...

Following the invasion of Korea by Chinese, Japanese, and Russian forces during the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), and the subsequent Japanese victories in both wars, Gojong was pressured to accept pro-Japanese advisors to the royal court by the Meiji Emperor of Japan. His domestic and foreign policies, however, proved to be successful in the face of the Japanese threat, mostly because they were cleverly directed by his brilliant wife, Queen Min, officially known as Empress Myeongseong. Empress Myeongseong used Russian and Chinese interests in Korea to defend her country from Japanese domination. Her domestic policies were also successful in industrializing Korea. However, due to the shift in the balance of power, the Japanese assassinated her and effectively ended any chance of Korea's remaining independent. Japan and Qing China fought the First Sino-Japanese War (or the Qing-Japanese War) during 1894 and 1895, primarily over control of Korea. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of Imperial Russia and Japan in Manchuria and Korea. ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Emperor Mutsuhito Mutsuhito (睦仁), the Meiji Emperor (明治天皇, literally Enlightened Rule Emperor) (3 November 1852–30 July 1912) was the 122nd Emperor of Japan. ... Empress Myeongseong of Joseon (明成皇后, 1851-1895), more commonly known as Queen Min (閔妃), was the last empress of Korea. ...

Gojong continued his late wife's policies to the end of his reign. He proclaimed the Korean Empire in 1897 in order to defend Korea against Japanese aggression. Following the Protectorate Treaty of 1905 between Korea and Japan, which stripped Korea of its rights as an independent nation, he sent representatives to the Hague Peace Convention of 1907 in order to tell the world of the crimes of Japanese imperialism in Korea. Although the Korean representatives were blocked by the Japanese delegates, they did not give up, and later held interviews with newspapers. As a result, an enraged Emperor Meiji forced Gojong to abdicate in favour of Gojong's son, Sunjong. The Korean Empire existed from 1897 to 1910. ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Hague Conventions were international treaties negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and 1907, respectively, and were, along with the Geneva Conventions, among the first formal statements of the laws of war and war crimes in the nascent body of international law. ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Sunjong was the last emperor of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea, ruling from 1907 until the Declaration of the Republic in 1919. ...

See also

• List of Korea-related topics