Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars: Foreign Powers Making the Korean Peninsula their Battleground

Statue of Jeon Bong-jun, the leader of the Donghak Peasant Movement (Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do)

When Japan began to expand its influence over the Korean Peninsula following the signing of the Treaty of Ganghwa, the Qing dynasty in China began to intervene in the political and diplomatic affairs of the Joseon kingdom by having its army stationed in Joseon on the pretext of supressing the Military Uprising of 1882. Amid the Sino-Japanese competition over the peninsula, Korean peasants, who were suffering from government corruption and heavy tax-burdens, initiated an uprising to "repel foreign powers and correct erroneous politics" called the the Donghak Peasant Movement.

The Joseon government requested the Qing court send troops to suppress the peasant army. When Qing sent the troops to Korea, the Japanese also sent its troops "to protect its citizens," so that both armies arrived in Korea almost at the same time. The Joseon government, surprised by the unexpected arrival of the Japanese troops, concluded the Jeonju Accord in response to some of the peasants’ demands and called for both the Chinese and Japanese armies to withdraw simultaneously.

A Satirical Comic about the Sino-Japanese War: "A Fishing Party (Une partie de pêche)", by Frenchman Georges Bigot, appeared in the magazine TÔBAÉ on Feb. 15, 1887 and depicts China and Japan fishing for Korea while Russia looks on angrily from afar.

The Japanese military rejected Joseon’s request for withdrawal. Instead, it invaded Gyeongbokgung Palace on the excuse of "domestic reform" and started First Sino-Japanese War by making an assault on the Qing army without warning. The Korean Peninsula turned into a battlefield of its neighbours and the Korean people suffered greatly from the war. The disbanded peasant army united again to fight the Japanese, but fell helplessly before the modern weapons of the Japanese army.

As a result of Japan’s victory in 1895, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was concluded between Qing China and Japan. The Japanese won a considerable amount of monetary compensation, along with the territories of Liaodong Peninsula and Taiwan as well as its dominance over Joseon kingdom. The traditional, Sino-centric interstate order of East Asia collapsed following the Sino-Japanese War, and Qing China was reduced to a semi-colony in encroachment of imperial powers.

The former Russian Legation (Jeong-dong, Seoul)

Japan’s victory triggered Russia into action. Russia, allied with Germany and France, pressured Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to Qing China; Korean King Gojong therefore pursued a pro-Russian policy to fend off the Japanese. In retaliation, Japan sent soldiers to murder Empress Myeongseong of Joseon later in 1895 and imposed coercive policies. While a series of anti-Japanese military campaigns raged throughout the Joseon kingdom, King Gojong escaped from Gyeongbokgung to the Russian legation, inviting more Russian influence in Korea.

A year after his escape, King Gojong made his return to Gyeongungung (now Deoksugung) Palace and proclaimed the Korean Empire, with the intention of freeing his country from Chinese, Japanese, and Russian interferences. To build a modern nation, the new empire implemented the Gwangmu Reforms in order to reinforce its national defence, promote education, commerce and industry, and establish a modern system of land ownership.

Despite its efforts, Korea’s goal for autonomy was frustrated by yet another war, the 1905 Russo-Japanese War. Japan did not see Russia's influence on Korea favorably. Therefore, Japan raided the Russian navy moored in Incheon Port, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Japan was successful against Russia, and the resulting Treaty of Portsmouth granted Japan the right to dominate the Korean Peninsula and to construct railways in southern Manchuria. Japan as the victor of the Russo-Japanese War threatened Emperor Gojong’s government into concluding the Eulsa Treaty in 1905, spurring colonization of the Korean Peninsula. The Treaty ultimately robbed Korea’s national sovereignty in 1910.

A Satirical Comic on the Russo-Japanese War: This comic, entitled "War Between a Giant and a Dwarf," appeared in the the French newspaper Le Petit Parisien on April 3, 1904 and predicts a Russian victory.
Commemorative Postcard of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance: This commemorative postcard of the Anglo-Japanese alliance was produced in Japan in 1905 and depicts a young British girl and young Japanese girl holding flowers symbolic of each other's country in one hand while holding each other's hand with the other.