Following the assatination of Queen Min (1851-1895; posthumously Empress Myeongseong) by Japanese authorities in the early morning hours of October 8, 1895 at Gyeongbokgung Palace, King Gojong (r. 1864-1907) fled to the Russian Legation in Jeong-dong on February 11, 1896 for the safety of himself and the crown prince. The journey took place in secret and was organized with the help of pro-Russian official Yi Beom-jin and the Russian ambassador Karl Ivanovich Weber. King Gojong remained at the legation until February 20, 1897.
