主權守護를 위한 高宗의 特使外交

Abstract

The treaty of disposses of sovereignty had been signed forcefully by the imperial Japan since neutrality during the wartime declared in January 23, 1904 right before the outbreak of Russia-Japan war and the failure, and Choson could not resist to the Japanese plunder through the common guarantee by the Great Powers. Thus, Kojong tried the policy of petition to independence through the dispatch of special envoys. For Taehan Empire was nearly occupied by the imperial Japan as Russia-Japan War occurred, it was already in the state of the colony partially. In this circumstance, Kojong linked with the cabinet ministers who had the same aspiration to his, and tried to demonstrate the intention of Taehan Empire by dispatching special envoys and conveying the confidential message. However, Japanese occupation of Chason had already been recognized by the Great Powers and there was no county which was attentive to the appeal of Taehan Empire. Therefore, Korea had fallen down to the state of a colony. But, the diplomatic struggle driven against Japanese pillage to protect the sovereignty should be highly evaluated .. Kojong's foreign policies as above are meaningful in some aspects. First, Kojong was neither an incapable King nor a outsider of the political change of late Chason, not as generally understood. Especially, when he got faced with the crisis of loss of sovereignty, he developed the movement such as dispatch of the special envoy in order to hold back Japanese intention of plunder. Secondly, Taehan Empire consistently developed struggle to secure the independence of the country, though it became a colony by the Japanese pillage. Japan annexed Choson illegally like this because the resistance was strong, which fully proved Japanese invasion. Third, Kojong's foreign policy to safeguard the sovereignty encouraged the resistance movement against Japan and became the basis where the resistance could be continuously driven after the annexation.