Qualla: Japanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung

Japanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

At 4:30 in the morning on July 23, 1894, Japanese Minister Otori Keisuke gave the order: "Execute as planned." Within minutes, soldiers of the 21st Regiment were at the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Engineers from the 7th Company tried to blow open the Yeongchumun Gate with explosives. The gate held. They had to cut it down with axes. By the time the sun was fully up, Japanese troops controlled the palace, and the blood of Korean soldiers lay red on the ground beneath the July morning light. Korea's sovereignty, already fraying, had just suffered the blow from which it would never fully recover.

Japanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung: The Trap That Closed

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The crisis had been building for weeks. In June 1894, the Donghak Peasant Rebellion had forced the Korean government to request Chinese military assistance, even though the rebels had already agreed to a ceasefire. China dispatched roughly 2,800 soldiers to the harbor at Asan, ab...

Japanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung: The Assault on the Palace

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Japanese approached Gojong's father, the Heungseon Daewongun, who had been living under house arrest imposed by the king. He was a political rival of the queen and amenable to cooperation, but extracted a promise: "Japan will not demand a single piece of Korean territory if t...

Japanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung: A King Compelled to Surrender

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Yamaguchi arrived at Hamhwadang with his sword drawn, claiming he had come to protect the king. At 7:30 am, Gojong commanded his guards to stop fighting. The last defenders at Yeongchumun surrendered thirty minutes later. But the battle was not over. At around 3 pm, the Metropoli...

Japanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung: The War That Followed

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The new government's first acts were to disband the Capital Guards, demand the expulsion of Chinese forces, and request additional Japanese troops. China rejected the puppet government, and Japan used this as pretext to attack the Qing forces still encamped at Asan. The Battle of...