Kim Ok-gyun

A politician and leader of the Enlightenment faction in the final years of the Yi Dynasty in Korea. Born in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. His pen name was Gogyun. He was adopted by Kim Byeong-gi and passed his liberal arts degree in 1872. He served as Sungkyunkwan Classics, Hongmunkan Editorial Director, Vice Seongji of Seongjeongwon, and Councillor of Criminal Affairs. Influenced by practical learning, he aspired to modernize Korea. He came to Japan in 1881 to inspect the institutions and cultural relics, and returned to Japan in 1882 as part of a group of Shushinshi after the Imo Uprising. After returning to Korea, he attempted to reform the Korean political system, which was under the oppression of both Japan and China. In December 1884, he staged a coup d'état (the Gapsin Coup) to seize power from the family of Queen Min, organized a new government, and became a councillor of households. However, due to a counterattack by the Qing army and the defeat of the Japanese army that supported Kim Ok-gyun, the coup failed within three days, and he defected to Japan with Park Yeong-hyo and others. After his defection, he was treated coldly by the Japanese government, which feared a complication of the situation, and he moved between Ogasawara, Hokkaido, and Tokyo. Meanwhile, the Korean government demanded his extradition as a criminal and attempted to assassinate him. In 1894, he was lured out by an assassin to Shanghai, where he was assassinated by Hong Jong-woo on March 28 at a Shanghai inn. His body was sent back to Korea, where he was executed as a criminal for "high treason" and executed by having his body torn apart. After the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War in the same year, his honor was restored by the Kim Hong-jip government.

[Akira Nakatsuka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

朝鮮、李朝(りちょう)末期の政治家、開化派の指導者。忠清南道(ちゅうせいなんどう／チュンチョンナムド)公州(こうしゅう／コンジュ)出身。号は古筠(こいん)。金炳基(へいき)の養子となり、1872年文科に及第。成均館典籍、弘文館(こうぶんかん)校理、承政院副承旨、刑曹(けいそう)参議を歴任。実学思想の影響を受け、朝鮮の近代的革新を志した。81年来日し、制度文物を視察、82年壬午(じんご)軍乱後に修信使の一行に加わってふたたび来日。帰国後、日清(にっしん)両国の圧迫下にある朝鮮の政治革新を図り、84年12月閔妃(びんひ／ミンピ)一族から政権を奪取するクーデター（甲申政変）を敢行、新政府を組織、戸曹(こそう)参判となった。しかし、清軍の反撃と金玉均らを支持した日本軍の敗退により、3日間で政変に失敗、朴泳孝(ぼくえいこう／パクヨンヒョ)らと日本に亡命した。亡命後は事態の紛糾をおそれた日本政府の冷遇にあい、小笠原(おがさわら)、北海道、東京を転々とし、一方、朝鮮政府は彼を犯罪者として引き渡し要求をしたり暗殺を企てたりした。94年刺客に誘い出されて上海(シャンハイ)に行き、3月28日上海の旅館で洪鍾宇(こうしょうう)の凶弾に倒れた。遺体は朝鮮に送還され、「大逆無道」の罪人として死体を引き裂く極刑に処された。同年、日清戦争勃発(ぼっぱつ)後、金弘集(きんこうしゅう)内閣によって名誉を回復された。

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