Gojong of Korea

Gojong (), the Gwangmu Emperor (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), was the last king of Joseon and the first Emperor of Korea.
Biography.
Early reign.
Gojong took the Joseon throne in early 1864 when he was still a child. As a minor, his father, the Heungseon Daewongun (or more commonly, the Daewongun), ruled as regent for him until Gojong reached adulthood.
During the mid-1860s, the Heungseon Daewongun was the main proponent of isolationism and was responsible for the persecution of native and foreign Catholics, a policy that led directly to the French invasion and the United States expedition to Korea in 1871. The early years of the Daewongun's rule also witnessed a concerted effort to restore the largely dilapidated Gyeongbok Palace, the seat of royal authority. During the Daewongun's reign, Joseon factional politics, the Seowons (private academies that often doubled as epicenters of factional power), and the power wielded by the Andong Kim clan all completely disappeared as political forces within Korean state life.
In 1873, Gojong announced his assumption of direct royal rule. In November 1874, with the retirement of the Heungseon Daewongun, Gojong's consort, Queen Min (posthumously known as Empress Myeongseong), gained complete control over the court, filling senior court positions with members of her family. This angered Heungseon Daewongun, who was exiled from the court. Some relatives of Heungseon Daewongun and members of the Southerner faction plotted a coup.
External pressures and unequal treaties.
In the 19th century, tensions mounted between Qing China and Japan, culminating in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894–1895. Much of this war was fought on the Korean peninsula. Japan, after the Meiji Restoration, acquired Western military technology and secured a victory against Joseon forces in Ganghwa Island, forcing Joseon to sign the Treaty of Ganghwa in 1876. Japan encroached upon Korean territory in search of fish, iron ore, and other natural resources. It also established a strong economic presence in the peninsula, heralding the beginning of Japanese Imperial expansion in East Asia.
The French campaign against Korea of 1866, the United States expedition to Korea in 1871, and the Ganghwa Island incident all put pressure on many of Joseon's officials, including King Gojong.
The Treaty of Ganghwa became the first unequal treaty signed between Korea and a foreign country; it gave extraterritorial rights to Japanese citizens in Korea and forced the Korean government to open three ports, Busan, Incheon, and Wonsan, to Japanese and foreign trade. With the signing of its first unequal treaty, Korea became easy prey for many imperialistic powers, and later the treaty led to Korea being annexed by Japan.
Imo Rebellion and Gapsin Coup.
King Gojong began to rely on a new paid army(byeolgigun) of rifle-equipped soldiers. Unlike the well-treated new army, the old army had not received a salary for 13 months. Then the old army received a month's salary, which was in poor condition and in short supply. As a result, the Old Army caused a riot and Heungseon Daewongun seized power. However Chinese troops, led by the Qing Chinese general Yuan Shikai, soon abducted the Daewongun and took him to China, thus foiling his return to power. Four years later the Daewongun returned to Korea.
During the Imo incident when Queen Min was taking refuge in her relative’s villa, Lady Seon-yeong of the Yeongwol Eom clan had shown extreme devotion towards King Gojong. Because of her loyalty, he promoted her to the Jimil Sanggung; 5th senior rank of Women of the Internal Court. When Queen Min came back, she had Lady Seon-yeong banished from the royal palace when she discovered the court lady wearing Gojong’s clothing at the age of 32 in 1885. The court lady’s position was changed to Seoin.
On 4 December 1884, five revolutionaries initiated the Gapsin Coup, an attempted coup d'état, by leading a small anti-old minister army, attempting to detain King Gojong and Queen Min. The coup failed after 3 days. Some of its leaders, including Kim Okgyun, fled to Japan, and others were executed.
Peasant revolts.
Widespread poverty presented significant challenges to the 19th century Joseon Dynasty. One indication of this poverty was the poor conditions of life suffered by those of the lower classes, who often had little to eat and lived in little more than run-down shanties lined along roads of dirt and mud. Several factors, including famine, poverty, high taxes, and corruption among the ruling class, led to many notable peasant revolts in the 19th century. King Gojong's predecessors had suppressed an 1811–1812 revolt in the Pyeongan Province, led by Hong Gyeong-nae.
In 1894, another major revolt, the Donghak Peasant Revolution took hold as an anti-government, anti-yangban, and anti-foreign campaign. To suppress the rebellion, the Joseon government requested military aid from Japan, thus deepening Japanese claims to Korea as a protectorate. The revolution ultimately failed, but many of the peasants' grievances were later addressed with the Gabo Reform.
The assassination of Queen Min.
In 1895, Empress Myeongseong was assassinated by Japanese agents. The Japanese minister to Korea, Miura Gorō orchestrated the plot against her. A group of Japanese agents entered the Gyeongbokgung in Seoul, which was under guard by Korean troops sympathetic to the Japanese, and the Queen was killed in the palace. The Queen had attempted to counter Japanese interference in Korea and was considering turning to Russia or China for support.
Anti-Japanese sentiments in Korea.
By 1895 Japan had won the First Sino-Japanese War, gaining much more influence over the Korean government. The Gabo reforms and the assassination of the Queen also stirred controversy in Korea, fomenting Korean anti-Japanese sentiments.
Some Confucian scholars, as well as farmers, formed over 60 successive righteous armies to fight for Korean freedom. These armies were preceded by the Donghak movement and succeeded by various Korean independence movements.
Korea royal refuge at the Russian legation.
On 11 February 1896, King Gojong and his crown prince fled from the Gyeongbokgung to the Russian legation in Seoul, from which they governed for about one year, an event known as the Korea royal refuge at the Russian legation. After Queen Min died, Lady Seon-yeong re-entered the palace as Gwi-in Eom and lived with Gojong and the crown prince in the Russian legation where she gave birth to Crown Prince Euimin in 1897. Her status had changed to Sunbin and Sunbi, but was later given the title of Imperial Noble Consort Sunheon of the Yeongwol Eom clan.
Proclamation of empire.
In 1897, King Gojong, yielding to rising pressure from overseas and the demands of the Independence Association-led public opinion, returned to Gyeongungung (modern-day Deoksugung). There he proclaimed the founding of the Empire of Korea, officially redesignated the national title as such, and declared a new era name "Gwangmu" (Hangul: 광무, Hanja: 光武) (meaning, "shining and martial"). This effectively ended Korea's historic subordination to the Qing empire which Korea had acknowledged since the fall of the Ming Dynasty, King Gojong took the title of Gwangmu Emperor and became the first imperial head of state and hereditary sovereign of the Empire of Korea.
This marked the end of the traditional Chinese tributary system in the Far East. Adopting the status of Empire meant that Korea was declaring itself the co-equal of Qing China, that it was independent of it and, at least nominally, it implemented the "full and complete" independence of Korea as recognized in 1895.
When Heungseon Daewongun died in 1898, Emperor Gwangmu refused to attend the funeral of his father as the relationship between father and son was broken. But it also said that when the Emperor looked over the palace wall, his cries were heard.
Since the seat of the empress was vacant, Gojong wanted to make Imperial Noble Consort Sunheon his empress, but this was opposed by Lee Jun-yong and Korean refugees who created a movement to stop the action, in which they succeeded. Although not empress, she persuaded and recommended Yun Yong-seon’s adoptive granddaughter, Lady Jeongsun of the Haepyeong Yun clan, as wife for the crown prince since she remembered the grace and assistance she received from Yun during her banishment. 
Emperor of Korea.
Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire in October 1897 to justify the country's ending of its traditional alliance with China. He tried to promote the Gwangmu Reform, which aimed at modernizing and industrializing the new empire.
On September 12th (July 25th in the lunar calendar) of 1898, the emperor was the target of a failed assassination attempt by interpreter Kim hong-ryuk (金鴻陸), who had lost his political power during the Korea royal refuge at the Russian legation, by poisoning the coffee of the emperor and the prince with opium.
In 1904-5, the Japanese military achieved a comprehensive victory in the Russo-Japanese War. Following the Protectorate Treaty of 1905 between Korea and Japan, which stripped Korea of its rights as an independent nation, Gojong sent representatives to the Hague Peace Convention of 1907 to try to re-assert his sovereignty over Korea. Although the Korean representatives were blocked by the Japanese delegates, they did not give up, and later held interviews with newspapers.
One representative warned forebodingly of Japanese ambitions in Asia:
As a result, Gojong was forced to abdicate by the Japanese, and Gojong's son Sunjong succeeded him to the throne. 
During Sunjong's reign, the kingdom of Joseon ended with the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910.
After abdication.
After abdicating, Emperor Gojong was confined to the Deoksu Palace. On 22 August 1910, the Empire of Korea was annexed by Japan under the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. In the treaty, Gojong lost his title as a former emperor; instead, he received a new title, "King Emeritus Yi of Deoksu" (徳寿宮李太王), and was recognized as a member of the imperial family of Japan.
Gojong died suddenly on 21 January 1919 at Deoksugung Palace at the age of 66. There is much speculation that he was killed by a poison administered by Japanese officials, an idea that gained wide circulation and acceptance at the time of his death. His death and subsequent funeral proved a catalyst for the March First Movement for Korean independence from Japanese rule. He is buried with his wife at the imperial tomb of Hongneung (홍릉, 洪陵) in the city of Namyangju.