Closed-door policy decided fate of Joseon Kingdom

By Ko Jae-kwan

In the latter years of the Joseon Kingdom, one ruler sought to protect Korea’s people and traditions from external threats. Heungseon Daewongun was one of the most influential figures during the final chapters of Korean royalty.

He is widely known for three things: defending the country from invasion, efforts to root out political corruption and his closed-door policy. Although not a perfect leader, he was a key figure in many aspects who ushered in some big changes to the kingdom.

To begin with, Heungseon Daewongun defended Korea in two major foreign invasions. As the young King Gojong ascended the throne, his father Daewongun took control over state affairs as regent.

In 1866, several French missionaries were executed on charges of high treason, and France took this as an opportunity to launch a campaign against Korea.

The French troops, who landed on Ganghwa Island off Incheon, met with heavy resistance and retreated in the end.

Five years later, the United States also invaded Korea, but the invaders were defeated. Daewongun, through fierce determination, successfully protected his homeland from what could have crippled his efforts at reformation.

In addition to successful defense, Daewongun brought about major political reforms to the kingdom.

One of the feats he accomplished was the purge of members of the Andong Kim clan, who exerted a great deal of influence and power at the time.

He then proceeded to reorganize the bloated government employment offices, many of which were mired in fraud and corruption.

Daewongun also weakened the power of the nobles by imposing heavier taxes on them, and aided peasants by providing loans for the poor.

However, he introduced a new currency that caused massive inflation, and he relied on forced labor to renovate Gyeongbok Palace.

Daewongun changed the inner workings of Joseon for the greater good, running the risk of tarnishing his reputation.

Unfortunately, not all of his policies produced good results. One of them was his closed-door policy.

Such an isolationist policy had been maintained throughout the Joseon period. At that time, Joseon halted all foreign contact and cut trade, with the exception of China and Japan.

This policy was established because of rising fears of Western powers, as Great Britain defeated China in the Opium Wars and the United States forced Japan to open its doors to trade with America through intimidation.

The regent only added fuel to the fire by reinforcing his closed-door policy, and many historians today maintain that Korea suffered from the effects of Japanese imperialism because of Daewongun’s refusal of modernization, thus ushering in an age of darkness and bringing sorrow to Korea.

In trying to protect his country’s ideals, he denied Korea the opportunity to modernize with his isolationist policy.

The writer is a first-year student at Daeil Foreign Language High School.