[VOD & Article] Moon Geun Young from 'The Last Korea Empress (KBS 2001)'.

Empress Myeongseong (19 October 1851 – 8 October 1895)
Source : http://www.wikipadia.org

Empress Myeongseong (19 October 1851 – 8 October 1895), also known as Queen Min, was the first official wife of King Gojong, the twenty-sixth king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. In 1902 she received the posthumous name 'Hyoja Wonseong Jeonghwa Hapcheon Honggong Seongdeok Myeongseong Taehwanghu' (Korean Hangul: 효자원성정화합천홍공성덕명성태황후, Hanja: 孝慈元聖正化合天洪功誠德明成太皇后), often abbreviated as Myeongseong Hwanghu (Hangul: 명성황후, Hanja: 明成皇后), meaning Empress Myeongseong.

The Japanese considered her as an obstacle against its overseas expansion. Efforts to remove her from the political arena, orchestrated through failed rebellions prompted by the father of King Gojong, Heungseon Daewongun (an influential regent working with the Japanese), compelled the Empress to take a harsher stand against Japanese influence.

After Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, Queen Min advocated stronger ties between Korea and Russia in an attempt to block Japanese influence in Korea, which was represented by Daewongun. Miura Gorō, the Japanese Minister to Korea at that time and a retired army lieutenant-general, backed the faction headed by the Daewongun, whom he considered to be more sympathetic to Japanese interests.

In the early morning of October 8, 1895, sword-bearing assassins, allegedly under orders from Miura Gorō, entered Gyeongbok Palace. Upon entering the Queen's Quarters (Okhoru Pavilion), the assassins "killed three court [women] suspected of being Empress Myeongseong. When they confirmed that one of them was the Empress, they burned the corpse in a pine forest in front of the Okhoru Pavilion, and then dispersed the ashes." She was 43 years-old.

The assassination of the Korean Empress ignited diplomatic protest abroad.[citation needed] To appease growing international criticism,[citation needed] the Japanese government "recalled Miura and placed him under a staged trial at the Hiroshima District Court, while the military personnel involved were tried at a military court. All were given the verdict of not-guilty on the grounds of insufficient evidence."

After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Miura was honored and awarded a seat at the Privy Council (Sumitsuin), the advisory board to the Emperor.

The Empress's role has been widely debated by historians. Some Koreans who survived the Japanese occupation[who?] criticize her for failing to militarily resist the Japanese. The Japanese portrayal of Empress Myeongseong forms part of the recent controversy over allegations of revisionist history in Japanese school textbooks.

In South Korea, there is renewed interest in her life because of recent novels, TV drama and musical. In Korea she is viewed by many as a national heroine, for striving diplomatically and politically to keep Korea independent of foreign influence. She had planned to modernize Korea.



[Article] Moon Geun Young from 'The Last Korea Empress (KBS 2001)'.
Original : http://twssg.blogspot.com/

'The Last Korea Empress (KBS 2001)' or 'Empress Myeongseong' based on the life of Empress Myeongseong (1851 - 1895), the first official wife of King Gojong, the 26th king of the Joseon dynasty. She was killed on October 8, 1895 by Japanese assassins.

One of the highest rated Korean TV series of 2002, KBS period drama The Last Empress follows the amazing life and times of Korea's last empress, Myeongseong. The consort of Emperor Gojong, Empress Myeongseong is remembered in Korean history as a national heroine. Presiding over a tumultuous period in modern Korean history (late 19th century), she was actively involved in politics and diplomacy, seeking to modernize Korea and resist Japanese imperialism. Lee Mi Yeon (Typhoon) portrays the title role with grace and gravity, alongside Lee Jin Woo as Emperor Gojong. Moon Geun Young (Tale of Two Sisters) plays the Empress as a young girl.

Moon Geun Young - The Last Korea Empress

The story opens in 1863 with the ascension of child emperor Gojong, amidst a flurry of court intrigue and political power play. Gojong (Lee Jin Woo) comes of age under the guidance of his father and regent Daewongun (Yoo Dong Geun), whose fair rule wins widespread support in the court. A commoner by birth, Min Ja Yeong (Lee Mi Yeon) enters the palace to become Gojong's concubine. She should have been nothing more than another powerless piece in the puzzle, but the beautiful and quick-witted Ja Yeong attracts Emperor Gojong's favor and rises above the conspiracies and obstacles to become Empress Myeongseong.

[MV] If I Leave (Korean Version) - The Last Korea Empress OST.

This song is all about korean last Queen Myeongseong who killed by japanese soliders. She knew she will die but she didnt run away so...this song is about how did Myoung sung feel like...

She is the queen who tried save Korea from Foreign countries especially from the Japan by trying to modernize the Korea. While she was the queen, she formed the first modern soldiers of Korea and tried buy modern weapons from foreign countries such as rifles, cannons, and machine gun (rare during that time of period) to modernize the korean military.



But, that dream didn't come true due to her assasination by cruel and brutal Japanese government's greed. Queen Myeongseong tried to save Korea from Japanese modernization. More like she herself was trying to modernize Korea, to protect Korea from Japanese imperialism. I compare her favourably to that stupid evil woman Empress Cixi.