The emperor is crowned: Part 2

A picture of a throne room taken by Burton Holmes circa 1899 Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

The Kingdom of [Joseon] came to a quiet end October 12th, 1897. Not with the tramp of the invader, not with the shout of the traitor did this change take place; no boom of cannon resounded [through] these hills, neither did the lurid flame of the torch light up the streets of the Capital." It was, according to the editors of The Korean Repository (a monthly English magazine published in Seoul), through the coronation of King Gojong as emperor.

The Independent (one of Korea's early newspapers, published in Korean and English in Seoul) was equally dramatic. It claimed Gojong's coronation surpassed Nicholas of Russia's coronation and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria ― not only because of its "quaintness and uniqueness" but also because it took place at 3 a.m. "No European potentiate ever thought of holding a coronation ceremony at such an hour," the newspaper declared.

This "quaint and unique" ceremony began at about 3 a.m. when Gojong and the crown prince were once again conveyed through the streets of Seoul ― presumably in the yellow chairs which were "richly gilded and each carried on the shoulders of fifty or more men" ― to Hwangudan, an altar located next to today's Westin Josun Seoul hotel.

According to the paper, Gojong "wore the yellow robes which the sun, moon, stars and various animals were embroidered in gold. His hat was the jeweled crown after the fashion of the Ming dynasty. The Crown Prince wore a similarly fashioned robe except that the color was red instead of yellow."

Upon reaching Hwangudan, the royal personages ascended the steps to the upper platform where several tables were placed ― graced with the usual sacrificial foods ― and was lit by a myriad of torches and lanterns.

A picture of King Gojong taken by Percival Lowell in the winter of 1883/84 Robert Neff Collection

Gojong "reverently bowed to Heaven, and a high dignitary ― Grand Master of Ceremonies, ― read loudly the prayer which was composed for the occasion. The gist of the prayer was that through Heaven's blessing His Majesty takes upon himself the title of Great Emperor of Great Choson, which was done in accordance with the will of Heaven and man. Heaven may bestow upon the Emperor continual blessings and guide him in directing the affairs of the Empire. After the completion of the prayer and offerings of various sacrificial animals His Majesty and the Crown Prince again bowed."

Yun Chi-ho's description of the event was extremely brief: "At 5 a.m., His Majesty in a yellow robe, solemnly assumed the title of the Whang Chei of Dai-han, or the Emperor of Korea."

He continued, "Emperor Gojong then took his seat and was preparing to receive the congratulations of his Ministers of State and other military officials when it suddenly began pouring rain. The rain soaked through the awnings [causing] great inconvenience and discomfort to the Imperial party as well as thousands of others…. Everybody was shivering with cold and their silky robes and gilded hats presented the most dilapidated appearance on account of the drenching rain." The wind blew out some of the lanterns and extinguished many torches, further darkening the joyous event. Yun sarcastically noted that astrologers ― when choosing this auspicious date and time ― had left the weather out of their calculations.

After the emperor had received the congratulations of his officials (each bowing to the emperor nine times), the "procession was again formed and in the midst of rain and wind the Imperial party safely returned to the palace."

In his diary, Yun Chi-ho wrote:

"Went to the Palace at [noon] to congratulate (?) the new Emperor, but this ceremony didn't take place as other mummeries had to be gone through in connection with giving the dead Queen the title of Empress etc. Another shower of vigorous rain made the farce all the more ridiculous and pitiful."

Yun Chi-ho was not the only one bitter about the coronation. For several months ― in fact, years ― there had been talk of the Korean monarch accepting the title of emperor. According to Yun:

"Koreans have come to regard a king necessarily as tributary to an emperor; and that the assumption of the title of emperor was the best possible means of convincing the people that the sovereign of Korea is independent of all and inferior to none. Their watchword was, 'No emperor, no independence.'"

Yun Chi-ho (dressed in traditional Korean attire) and members of his family, circa 1900s Robert Neff Collection

A coronation had been planned for Oct. 26, 1895, but "due to intervention of certain influences, the 26th October came and went, but no coronation." Yun's diary entry for that date offers further clues as to why it did not happen:

"The ceremony of imperializing His Majesty did not come off today. He is reported to have refused to accept the ridiculous offer of the title. The straight talk of the Legations seems to have some effect in the matter."

The "certain influences" were apparently the foreign representatives in Seoul, particularly Carl von Waeber, the Russian minister to Korea. But in 1897 the political situation on the peninsula had changed and many felt the Russians ― who exerted great influence ― were pushing for the Korean monarch to accept the imperial title. It didn't take much persuasion.

In a report to the State Department in September 1897, Horace Allen (the American minister to Korea) wrote:

"His Majesty is listening to the advice of courtiers who to gain favor, are continually urging him to assume the title of Emperor. The funeral of the late Queen has been postponed from time to time in order, it is said, that His Majesty may be an Emperor and the Queen an Empress at the time of the funeral and have their titles as such inscribed upon the funeral tablets."

As part of the Korean monarch's preparations, hundreds of men worked night and day for several weeks to prepare the Hwangudan.

But these were not the only preparations. In his diary (Oct. 3, 1897), Yun wrote:

"For the last two weeks the King and his officials have been absorbed in the scheme of imperializing the Dynasty. A week ago the King secretly ordered Kwon Chai Hyong to memorialize the Throne begging it to accept the title of an Emperor! Beginning from last Friday the Prime Minister [has] started a series of petitions to the King asking him to accept the Imperial title in accordance with the earnest wishes and prayers of the whole realm!

"The bother is that when these farcical petitions are presented, everybody connected with the government is required to be present. All the officials in official robes have been, for the past three days, kneeling in the court yard of the Palace from 3 to 6 p.m. Today the 9th petition was sent in and the King was obliged (!) to accept it, consenting thereby that he would call himself an Emperor according to the earnest wishes of the whole nation! What lies on both sides!"

A picture of the Russian legation in Seoul by Burton Holmes circa 1899 Robert Neff Collection

Gojong's acquiescence "to the earnest wishes of the whole nation" alarmed the foreign diplomats. The primary subject of their Oct. 9 meeting was how to respond to a possible invitation from the palace for an "imperial audience." Most were in favor of declining the audience as they worried about their respective governments' views on the Korean monarch's new title. However, the Russian representative convinced them to accept the invitations as long as they "did not imply that it was for the purpose of recognizing or congratulating the 'emperor.'" The invitations arrived the following day ― sans reference to the Korean monarch's soon-to-be new title ― and were readily accepted even though the wording seemed very similar to that proposed by the Russian representative.

According to The Independent and The Korean Repository, in the late afternoon of Oct. 13, "the Emperor received the diplomatic corps and to each one individually was announced the assumption of the new title."

Allen was not pleased. He wished Gojong great happiness and prosperity but he did not congratulate him. The emperor assured Allen that he had not accepted the title out of egotism but as a means of balancing, as both China and Japan were ruled by emperors.

For the most part, official recognition of Emperor Gojong was rather slow. The Russian government officially recognized his title at the end of the year while the United States, Britain and France held off until the summer of 1898.

Somewhat surprisingly, Japan was the first country to recognize Gojong's imperial title in early November 1897 ― nearly 13 years later, the Great Korean Empire would unwillingly become a part of the Japanese Empire.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.