Her Imperial Majesty Empress Myeongseong of Korea (October 19, 1851 – October 8, 1895), more commonly known as Queen Min (明成皇后), was the last empress of Korea. She is recognized by the Korean people as a heroine, equivalent to France's Joan of Arc. Hangul (한글) is the native alphabet used to write the Korean language, as opposed to the Hanja system borrowed from China. ... 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 (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Majesty is an English word rooting in the Latin Maiestas, meaning literally, Greatness. ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Korea refers to South Korea and North Korea together, which were a unified country until 1948. ... Image of Joan of Arc, painted between 1450 and 1500 (Centre Historique des Archives Nationales, Paris, AE II 2490) St. ...

Empress Myeongseong was the wife of Emperor Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty of the Daehan Empire. During her life as empress, she strived diplomatically and politically to keep Korea independent of foreign influence. She is credited for introducing new Western technologies, such as trains, telephones, streetcars, and electrical lights. She also proved herself brilliant when handling foreign affairs, as shown when she summoned the help of Russia and the Qing Dynasty of China to block the Japanese from taking over Korea, which was within considerable influence of Tokyo's imperialistic ambitions. Gojong (1852–1919) was the 26th king and 1st emperor of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. ... The Joseon Dynasty (also Chosun, Hangul: 조선왕조, Hanja: 朝鮮王朝) was the final ruling dynasty of Korea, lasting from 1392 until 1910. ... The Korean Empire existed from 1897 to 1910. ... There are various types of trains designed for particular purposes, see rail transport operations. ... Telephone This article is about telephone technology. ... a historic postcard showing electric trolley-powered streetcars in Richmond, Virginia, where Frank J. Sprague successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888 A streetcar is a railway vehicle designed to carry passengers on tracks, usually laid in city streets. ... Most of the industrialized world is lit by electric lights, which are used both at night and to provide additional light during the daytime. ... Foreign Affairs is the foremost American journal of international relations. ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qÄ«ng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of Inner Asia, establishing... Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Kokyo Imperial Palace. ... Flag of Japan adopted 1870, official 1999 Japanese Naval Ensign adopted 1889, re-adopted 1954 The Empire of Japan (大日本帝国; Dai Nippon Teikoku) was the official title of Japan before the end of World War II. The names Imperial Japan and Japanese Empire are also used. ...

The Japanese, Emperor Meiji in particular, viewed her as an obstacle. However, efforts to neutralize her or to remove her from Korea's government continuously failed due to Emperor Gojong's devotion. Emperor Mutsuhito Mutsuhito or Mitsuhito (睦仁), the Meiji Emperor (明治天皇, literally wise ruling heaven emperor) (3 November 1852–30 July 1912) was the 122nd Emperor of Japan. ...

Death

The Japanese resorted to sending ambassadors to Korea's royal court, but such efforts were eventually repelled, again by Empress Myeongseong. As a result, the Japanese minister to Korea, Miura Goro, faced with losing Korea, hired assassins to invade Gyeongbok Palace, the Korean imperial residence, and kill the empress in 1895. Two of the Japanese assassins were allegedly Shigeaki Kunitomo and Kakitsu Ieiri. [1] Increasingly, other figures that were involved in this event are coming to light. Miura Goro (1846-1926) Born in Yamaguchi, Japan in 1846, he was appointed foriegn minister to Korea in 1895, where he as involve in the murder of Empress Min of Korea. ... Gyeongbokgung (Gyeongbok Palace) is a palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The mercenary killers raped and slaughtered three women suspected of being Queen Min, and when they verified which was the Queen they raped her and they desecrated her body, displayed it in a small circle, cut it to pieces, and then burned the corpse. Other witness accounts indicate she was raped then burned alive. Other accounts claim that she was stabbed and stomped on, or that she was not raped, but instead had her genitals molested posthumously. [2]

These criminal acts were witnessed by Russian architects and one of the guards named Sabatin and other foreign officials, who protested heavily. To appease these protests, and other growing criticism worldwide, the Japanese government eventually brought Miura Goro and the other assassins to a criminal court. However, all were cleared of murder charges on the grounds of a lack of clear-cut evidence. Miura Goro (1846-1926) Born in Yamaguchi, Japan in 1846, he was appointed foriegn minister to Korea in 1895, where he as involve in the murder of Empress Min of Korea. ...

Emperor Gojong, enraged over the event, posthumously awarded his late wife the title "Myeongseong" and enshrined her in Jongmyo, Korea's state shrine. She is the only empress enshrined in Jongmyo; all other females are queens. Posthumous means after death. ...

Trivia

• There is some uncertainty about the date of Queen Min's assassination. Most authorities view October 8, 1895 as the correct date; however, other sources cite the date as August 20, 1895.

• On May 11, 2005, descendants of two the alleged Japanese assassins Kumitomo and Ieiri, travelled to Jongmyo shrine to "pay homage and apologize" for the assassination their forefathers undertook. (Source: The Korea Times, Japanese Apologize for Assassination of Empress)

October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of Korea-related topics

This is a list of Wikipedia articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. ...

External links

• Information about Queen Min
• Queen Min of Korea — The "Last Empress"
• Queen Min of Korea: Coming to Power
• Modern Korean opinion piece on the event