How Did Queen Min Affect Korea

Queen Min (formally known as Empress Myeongseong), was murdered in her own palace by 50 Japanese swordsmen when she was 43 years old. In 1895, Queen Min was attacked in her home called “Gyeongbokgung Palace” or “Palace of Shining Happiness”, as it is translated to English (Szcepanski). The last empress of Korea’s home in Seoul, Korea, was complete with trap doors, and armed soldiers, as women of this era were kept in secrecy. Queen Min was an orphan and married the King of Korea at a young age. She chose to study subjects normally meant for men, and exuded power, strength, and knowledge, all of which made her husband’s family feel threatened. They attempted multiple times to weaken her power and even threatened her loved ones. Her in-laws, the Taewongun, waited

Queen Min was an incredibly intelligent woman who studied science, philosophy, and religion, all subjects that were normally studied by men (Szczepanski). This threatened many people, as they thought she had too much power for a women. But they could not have been more wrong. She used her knowledge and wisdom to make decisions for Korea. Also, the Japanese wanted to expand overseas and possibly take over Korea. Their ways and violent nature, would only hurt Korea. Queen Min made wise decisions and despite personal preferences, should have been trusted, as she only had Korea’s best interest involved (Carpenter).

The assassination of Queen Min was unjust because she was a powerful female leader who tried to defend Korea against encroaching world powers like Japan, and saw the future of modernization. She protected her citizens from Japan’s plan to expand overseas and stabilized crucial relations with China, while the progressives were trying to destroy them. She was intelligent and a great ending last empress for Korea. Although she was a controversial leader, she worked hard to do right by her