The period from October 1897 to August 29, 1910 is known as the "Last Empire" period in Korean history. Undoubtedly, this short historical period is one of the most important periods in the history of the Korean state and the Korean people and is explained by the change of dynasty in the kingdom of Joseon.

    As soon as this dynasty came to power, they declared the country an empire and called it the "Great Korean Empire". During the period of imperial rule, reforms were carried out, the main purpose of which was the westernization of Korea, the modernization of the country, the development of military affairs, the economy, land ownership, education and all other areas.

    The establishment of Japanese rule in 1905 and complete Japanese control of the country in 1910 ended in the collapse of the empire. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, very serious political changes began to take place in almost all countries of the Far East. Undoubtedly, Western countries played a big role in these changes, and all of them intensified the struggle for a dominant position in China and, consequently, for a firm foothold in the border areas of China.

    The entry of powerful powers into Korea and the struggle for dominance in it were carried out in various forms and methods. If Russia conducted its foreign policy on the Korean issue from the point of view of good neighborliness and tried to use China's capabilities in the struggle for dominance, then Great Britain and the United States follow a different path. They planned to strengthen and maintain their positions in the Far East with the help of Japan.

    In order to effectively carry out its mission in Korea, Russia will, to the extent possible, support militarily sympathetic groups in the government. They plan to take over the royal palace in Gyeongbokgung and thereby free the king from Japanese influence, but the plan fails. K. I. Weber, the representative of Russia, is negotiating with representatives of the Korean government and plans to get King Gojong for the use of Russia and thereby get out of the influence of Japan.

    With Russia's help, Gozhang will immediately reverse the decision for men to wear hair. In addition, the king orders the execution of the leaders of the Japanese government in order to intimidate them and win over to his side. Those arrested included Kim Hongjip, Jung Byungha, Oh Yunjun, and many other leaders who managed to escape to Japan.

    Due to the diplomatic use of Russia, Gojong began to make new decisions to ensure Russian dominance in the country. At the coronation ceremony of Emperor Nicholas II, which took place on May 22-24, 1896, thanks to good relations with him, a diplomatic mission from Korea, headed by Ming Yonghwan (1861-1905), was also present.

    After the ceremony, the Korean delegates will stay in Russia for several months to take part in the talks in St. Petersburg. They discuss five main questions. 1) sending Russian military specialists to Korea; 2) appointment of Russian advisers to the Korean government; 3) management of the personal protection of the king; 4) connection of the Siberian telegraph network with the telegraph network in the north of Korea and the construction of new telegraph networks in Korea; 5) Issuance of a loan to Korea to pay off its debt to Japan in the amount of 3 million yen.

    For Korea, the negotiations were considered successful. The reason was that the Russian side only responded positively to the question of the Tsar's personal guard. Other questions remain partially open, and this was done in order not to worsen Russia's relations with Japan. Nevertheless, immediately after the completion of the negotiations, the General Staff will send a group of military specialists to Korea, headed by Colonel D.V. Putyat, together with Min Yonghwan, who is part of the ambassadors. A plan to reform the Korean army will soon be ready. In 1897, a representative of the Russian customs administration K. A. Alekseev arrived in Korea, who was soon appointed chief adviser to the Korean Minister of Finance. In December 1897, the Russian-Korean Bank was established, which was supposed to support the financial policy of the new government.

    In general, Russia is fighting for dominance in Korea. On May 14, 1896 in Seoul and on June 9 of this year in Moscow, several important documents were signed between Russia and Japan, which indicated that both countries would have equal opportunities in Korea. In fact, another reason for this was King Gojong's high level of sympathy for Russia.

    After the arrival of a high-ranking diplomatic mission from Russia and negotiations, the tsar made several appeals to his advisers and government representatives and raised the issue of promoting Korea's relations with Russia, Japan, or some other Western power.

    At the same time, there are supporters in Korea to make the country completely free from outside influences, and their leader is Seo Chaephil (1866-1951), who was originally from the United States. After graduating from university, he married a woman named Armstrong there, took US citizenship and took the name Philip Jason.

    The US government supported Seo Chaphil in some way politically and financially. This enabled him to establish the first Korean-language "Independence Newspaper" ("Tonnip sinmun") on April 7, 1896. The last page of the newspaper was published in English and was called "The Independent" ("independence" in English). But Korean historiography shows that this newspaper was published three times a week with the support of the Korean government.

    Dozens of young Koreans gather around So Chaphil. They were also the children of prominent Korean families who believed that Korea could be liberated through reform and change. Korean historical literature cites several dates for the return of Seo Chae-Phil from the United States to Korea: 1894 - with the beginning of reforms, December 26, 1895 and 1896 - with the departure of Queen Min and her supporters from the political scene.

    More Koreans supported the reforms by operating outside the country. among them Yun Chiho (1865-1946), who visited Japan with a government delegation in 1881, later studied in the United States and assisted H. Futa, the first US ambassador to Korea, as an interpreter. He also took part in the 1884 coup d'état and moved to the United States. Lee Sanjae (1850-1929), one of the most active participants in the Korean independence movement. He worked as part of a diplomatic mission in the United States. In the late 1890s, he held very important government posts.

    Due to their activities in Korea, a very difficult political situation developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The society practically split into several groups. Similar situations could be observed in the government.

    As the interests of Japan and Russia clash in Korea, King Gojon is trying to leave a special mark on Korean history. At the same time, for the first time in the history of the country, he declares Korea an empire. He declares himself emperor. In addition, a new name was given to Korea, and this name was to be completely different from the name given by the Chinese Ming Dynasty (Joseon - "Morning Snack"). Kozhang gave his country the name "Great Khan" (Te-han). In Korean, "Han" was associated with the names of the first three Korean proto-states. The word great is connected with the fact that Japan after the reforms was called the Great Japanese Empire, and he dreamed of turning Korea into such a great empire.

    Considering that Korea is a neighbor of China and Japan, Gojong proclaimed the new slogan of the new government - kwangmu - on August 17, 1897. This new slogan was called “Clean and I fight,” and according to it, the newly formed Korea should be a powerful, developed country. During the reign of Emperor Kochyan, a number of reforms were carried out, on the one hand, they were aimed at strengthening the monarchy, and on the other, at modernizing the army and the whole country.

    The emperor's coronation ceremony was officially performed on October 12, 1897. The Gwangmu reforms are positively assessed in the historical literature. In connection with the reforms, a military system was introduced. The emperor himself takes over the leadership of the land and navy. In 1898 an officer school was established. The imperial government pays special attention to the development of education, the study of foreign languages, and the development of technology. He also sponsors medicine, domestic and foreign trade, the construction of new plants and factories, railways. Hanson ynxen ("Capital Bank") and Tehan chxonil' ynxen ("The First Heavenly Bank in Great Korea") are established with the participation and patronage of the government. Large-scale vaccinations are carried out in the medical system throughout the country. Legislation on land ownership relations will be slightly changed. Laws in this area will be adapted to international standards. Achievements achieved in the field of agriculture abroad began to be widely implemented.

    Emperor Gojong tried to pursue an independent foreign policy despite the fact that powerful Western countries tried to establish their power in Korea and subjugate it. In 1899, a new trade agreement was signed with China, and this agreement to a certain extent changed the international position of Korea.

    In 1899, a new document was signed, which was called the "State Construction of Great Korea." This document was in fact the first constitution of Korea. Thus, at the end of the 19th century, Korea became an independent country open to the world. Social, economic, political and military reforms were carried out in all spheres of the country.

    But in the southeastern part of the country was the developing and growing power of Japan, which actively pursued an aggressive and colonial policy in its foreign policy. This was one of the main dangers for the Great Korean Empire, which began reforms and was on the way to the formation of a modern state.

Khasanboy Urunov,

Master of Samarkand State University.