December 29, 2007

• Seokjojeon

  
  Seokjojeon - Seoul, Dec. 2007
  James Heald
  Canon Digital Kiss X

  On the grounds of Doeksugung is Seokjojeon, the only Western-influenced building built for royalty. Taking ten years to build at the turn of the century, the building would become the home for King Gojong (1852-1919), the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty, and the first emperor of the Korean Empire (1897-1907).

  
  Front steps to Seokjojeon

  The final years of the Joseon Dynasty were turbulent, to say the least. China, Russia, and Japan were fighting for influence in and control of the peninsula, and the "Hermit Kingdom" was fighting to survive. Korea had been a battleground with invaders for hundreds of years. Jurchens, Manchus, the horrifying invasion by the Japanese in 1592 that devastated the economy as hundreds of artists and craftsmen were captured and taken back to Japan. There was interference from China, as well as one-sided treaties signed with European powers and the United States that opened markets in Korea.

  As China declined into anarchy, and losing the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), Japanese influence increased. King Gojong's wife, Queen Min, was a stumbling block to the Japanese. She fought battles with Koreans who sided with the Japanese, as well as the Japanese, frustrating their every effort. Queen Min improved Korean society by opening schools, inviting foreign missionaries into the country to educate students in Western culture. She commissioned the founding of a newspaper to be printed in the language of the Korean people. Missionaries were also given government positions, allowing them to spread Christianity across the country. This also allowed improvements in medicine and health care. She influenced Gojong to update the military, and modern weapons were imported from Japan and United States. Many of Queen Min's reforms were too little and too late.

  The Eulmi Incident occurred in October 1895. Queen Min was assassinated by Japanese swordsmen. Fifty-eight men were accused of the crime, but all were acquitted by lack of evidence.

  
  East Wing of Seokjojeon

  Construction of Jeokjojeon began in 1900. It features a Neoclassical architecture, with Ionian columns. The interior, which is closed to the public, is said to be of the rococo style. The bottom floor is a half-basement where servants waited upon the king. The first floor is where the king met foreign officials, while the top floor was used as living quarters.

  Russian influence in Korean ended with the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). King Gojong was forced to sign a Protectorate Treaty in 1905 that stripped Korea its independence. He sent representatives to Hague Peace Convention in 1907 in trying to get international support for Korean independence, but Japanese representatives blocked them. However, the representatives did talk to newspaper reporters about the situation.

  The United States does not realize what Japan's policy in the Far East

  is and what it portends for the American people. The Japanese adopted a

  policy that in the end will give her complete control over commerce and

  industry in the Far East. Japan is bitter against the United States and

  against Great Britain. If the United States does not watch Japan

  closely she will force the Americans and the English out of the Far

  East.

  Korean Representative, 1907

  The Meiji Emperor was outraged by this comment and forced King Gojong to abdicate the throne to his son, King Sunjong (1907-1910). Korea became a Japanese colony in 1910. Liberation would come with the defeat of the Japanese at the hands of the United States in 1945.

  During the Japanese occupation, Seokjojeon was used as an art museum. In 1945 American and Russian representatives met to discuss the future of Korea, which was divided during this time along the 38th parallel. After the Korean war, it was the National Museum, and now serves as the Royal Museum, displaying artifacts from the Joseon royal family.

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  While I have visited Doeksugung several times in the past two years, I don't know all of the stories these buildings could tell if they could talk. I used Wikipedia and other sources to gather some of the information I have shared here, which reinforces what I learned on earlier visits. If I got any details wrong, I am open to correction.

  • 5:29 am
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