Editing History of Korea (section)

===Foreign relationships===
{{Main|Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)|Second Manchu invasion of Korea}}
[[File:KoreanEmbassy1655KanoTounYasunobu.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Joseon Tongsinsa|Korean Embassy to Japan]], 1655, attributed to Kano Toun Yasunobu; [[British Museum]]]]

Korea dealt with a pair of [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)|Japanese invasions from 1592 to 1598]] (''Imjin War'' or the ''Seven Years' War''). Prior to the war, Korea sent two ambassadors to scout for signs of Japan's intentions of invading Korea. However, they came back with two different reports, and while the politicians split into sides, few proactive measures were taken.

This conflict brought prominence to Admiral [[Yi Sun-sin]] as he contributed to eventually repelling the Japanese forces with the innovative use of his [[turtle ship]], a massive, yet swift, ramming/cannon ship fitted with iron spikes.{{sfn|Hawley|2005|p=195f}}{{sfn|Turnbull|2002|p=244}}<ref name="Roh 2004, 13">Roh, Young-koo: "Yi Sun-shin, an Admiral Who Became a Myth", ''The Review of Korean Studies'', Vol. 7, No. 3 (2004), p.13</ref> The use of the [[hwacha]] was also highly effective in repelling the Japanese invaders from the land.

Subsequently, Korea was [[Later Jin invasion of Joseon|invaded in 1627]] and [[Qing invasion of Joseon|again in 1636]] by the Manchus, who went on to conquer China and establish the [[Qing dynasty]], after which the Joseon dynasty recognized [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] suzerainty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joseon Dynasty and Qing Dynasty: Blue Dependency |url=http://contents.history.go.kr/mobile/nh/view.do?levelId=nh_037_0020_0010_0010_0020 |website=Uri history net}}</ref> Though Joseon respected its traditional tributary position to China, there was persistent loyalty for the perished [[Ming dynasty|Ming China]] and disdain for the Manchus, who were regarded as barbarians.

During the 19th century, Joseon tried to control foreign influence by closing its borders to all nations. In 1853 the American whaleship ''[[USS South America (1861)|South America]]'' visited [[Busan]] for 10 days and had amiable contact with local officials. Several Americans shipwrecked on Korea in 1855 and 1865 were also treated well and sent to China for repatriation. The Joseon court was aware of the foreign invasions and treaties involving Qing China, as well as the [[First Opium War|First]] and [[Second Opium War]]s, and followed a cautious policy of slow exchange with the West.

In 1866, reacting to greater numbers of Korean converts to Catholicism despite several waves of persecutions, the Joseon court clamped down on them, massacring French Catholic missionaries and Korean converts alike. [[French campaign against Korea (1866)|In response France invaded]] and occupied portions of Ganghwa Island. The French army occupied [[Ganghwa Island]], an island near Seoul, and tried to advance to Seoul, but failed due to strong resistance from the Korean army, and then withdrew from the island.

The ''General Sherman'', an American-owned armed merchant marine sidewheel schooner, attempted to open Korea to trade in 1866. After an initial miscommunication, the ship sailed upriver and became stranded near Pyongyang. After being ordered to leave by the Korean officials, the American crewmen killed four Korean inhabitants, kidnapped a military officer and engaged in sporadic fighting that continued for four days. After two efforts to destroy the ship failed, she was finally set aflame by Korean [[Fire ship|fireships]] laden with explosives.
{{Wikisource|Littell's Living Age/Volume 129/Issue 1662/A Glimpse of the Korea|a description of a visit to Korea by a British ship in 1876}} This incident is celebrated by the DPRK as a precursor to the later [[USS Pueblo (AGER-2)|USS Pueblo]] incident. [[United States expedition to Korea|In response, the United States confronted Korea militarily in 1871]], killing 243 Koreans in Ganghwa island before withdrawing. This incident is called the [[United States expedition to Korea|Shinmiyangyo]] in Korea. Five years later, the reclusive Korea signed a trade treaty with Japan, and in 1882 signed a treaty with the United States, ending centuries of isolationism.

Conflict between the conservative court and a reforming faction led to the [[Gapsin Coup]] in 1884. The reformers sought to reform Korea's institutionalized social inequality, by proclaiming social equality and the elimination of the privileges of the [[yangban]] class. The reformers were backed by Japan, and were thwarted by the arrival of Qing troops, invited by the conservative [[Empress Myeongseong|Queen Min]]. The Chinese troops departed but the leading general [[Yuan Shikai]] remained in Korea from 1885 to 1894 as Resident, directing Korean affairs.

In 1885, British [[Royal Navy]] occupied [[Port Hamilton incident|Geomun Island]], and withdrew in 1887.

Korea became linked by telegraph to China in 1888 with Chinese controlled telegraphs. China permitted Korea to establish embassies with Russia (1884), Italy (1885), France (1886), the United States, and Japan. China attempted to block the exchange of embassies in Western countries, but not with Tokyo. The Qing government provided loans. China promoted its trade in an attempt to block Japanese merchants, which led to Chinese favour in Korean trade. Anti-Chinese riots broke out in 1888 and 1889 and Chinese shops were torched. Japan remained the largest foreign community and largest trading partner.{{sfn|Seth|2010|p=225}}

A [[Meiji (era)|rapidly modernizing Meiji Japan]] successfully challenged China in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] (1894–1895) triggered by the [[Donghak Peasant Movement]], forcing it to abandon its long-standing claims to deference by Korea. Modernization began in Korea when Japan forced it to open its ports in 1876. However, at first, the forces of modernization met strong opposition not only from the traditionalism of the ruling Korean elite but from the population at large, which supported the traditional Confucian system of government by gentlemen, therefore no major modernization processes occurred until the establishment of the [[Korean Empire]] in 1897. Japan used modernization movements to gain more and more control over Korea.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Haryong Kim |title=Problems of the Modernization of Korea: The Modernization of Korean Politics |journal=Asiatic Research Bulletin |date=1963 |volume=6 |issue=8 |pages=1–6}}</ref>
[[File:1895FuneralofEmpressMyeongseongmaybe18901923CarpenterLOC1.jpg|thumb|1897 funeral of [[Empress Myeongseong]]|250px|right]]
In 1895, the Japanese were involved in the murder of [[Empress Myeongseong]],{{sfn|Schmid|2002 |p=72}}{{sfn|Association of Korean History Teachers|2005b|p=43}} who had sought Russian help, and the Russians were forced to retreat from Korea for the time.

Pro-Japanese government grew, while anti-Japanese politicians were either killed or fled for their survival.<ref>{{Cite book|last=신 |first=명호|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zB2xAwAAQBAJ&dq=%EC%9C%A4%EC%9B%85%EB%A0%AC&pg=PT611|script-title=ko:왕을 위한 변명|date=20 April 2009|publisher=김영사|isbn=978-89-349-5462-0|language=ko}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2024}} On 11 February 1896, King [[Gojong of Korea|Gojong]] and his crown prince fled from the [[Gyeongbokgung]] to the [[Russian Empire|Russian]] legation in [[Seoul]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veritable Records of Joseon Dynasty |script-title=ko:러시아 공사관으로 주필을 이어하다 |url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kza_13302011_001 |access-date=27 July 2022 |website=[[Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty]]}}</ref> from where they governed for about one year, an event known as [[Gojong's internal exile to the Russian legation]].