Kojong (1852-1919) was the twenty-sixth king of the Yi dynasty of Korea. He ascended the shaky Korean throne at the age of 12 and attempted in vain to defend the kingdom from external encroachments.

Kojong was the second son of Hungsn Taewngun, whose consort was Myngsng Hwanghu, or Queen Min. Though Kojong ascended the throne in 1863, when King Ch'ljong died without an heir apparent, his father exercised the governmental power as the imperial regent for 10 years. Kojong inaugurated his personal rule in 1873, when Ch'oe Ikhyn criticized the regent's many blunders. By then, however, many members of Queen Min's family were exercising much of the governmental power.

Following the Korean attack on a Japanese navel vessel at the island of Kanghwa in 1875, the Korean government was obliged to enter into a treaty relationship with Japan. This marked the end of the isolationist policy initiated by Taewngun. An observation and study...