Park Yung-hyo

Park was one of the leaders of the 1884 Gapsin Coup that attempted to overthrow the government and institute Western-style reforms. The coup attempt lasted only three days before its suppression by Chinese troops. He was forced to flee to Japan, where he initially stayed with Fukuzawa Yukichi, before moving on to Kobe.

Following the Japanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung Palace, Park returned to Korea with some of his entourages such as Lee Kyu-wan, and Ryu Hyeok-ro. Arriving Seoul on 23 August 1894, Park requested a discursive authority to reform the country to Gojong. But because public ideas about reforms were negative due to Gapsin Coup, Park was not able to gain great political power, rather he should flee to Incheon. Following the Japanese victory of Battle of Pyongyang, the Korean public started to regard Japan as the new leading power of Asia. Finally on 9 December, Park and his entourage who just returned from Japan gained political independence.[2] Furthermore, Park successfully managed the coup of Heungseon Daewongun who was trying to make Yi Jun-yong the king. Park gained the trust of Gojong and the Japanese minister.[3] The Second Kim Hong-jip cabinet was established, and Park was appointed as Minister of Interior.[2] Even though Park was not the prime minister but gained great authority that equals to that of prime minister.[3] Park did not enjoy being a puppet of Japan; therefore, he started to build his own political basements by appointing Lee Kyu-wan as the commander of police and Ryu Hyeok-ro as the Director of Artillery.[2] However, Park once asked Gojong to replace his bodyguards with Hunryeondae, which was an Japanese-influenced organization. This proposal made the king furious; the Min regime identified Park as an enemy, enforcing Park to flee to Japan again. After the removal of Park, the new cabinet became pro-American, Russian, and English, consisting of Bak Jeongyang, Ye Wanyong, Yi Bum-jin, and Min Young-hwan.[4]

Following the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910, in which Korea was annexed to the Empire of Japan, Park was awarded with the kazoku title of marquess (koshaku) in the Japanese peerage, and a seat in the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan. He served as Director of the Bank of Korea in 1918, Chairman of the Korean Economic Association in 1919, first president of The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper in 1920, president of the Kyungbang Corporation, chairman of the Korea Industrialization Bank in 1921, and advisor to the Government-General of Korea’s Central Institute.