The Hague Secret Courier Affair

This was an incident in which Yi Jun, Yi Sang, and Yi Wijong, who had been entrusted with a secret letter by Emperor Gojong of Korea (the Korean Empire), requested attendance at the Second Peace Conference held in The Hague, Netherlands in 1907, and attempted to have the Second Japan-Korea Treaty (Eulsa Protectorate Treaty) abolished at the conference. In an attempt to resolve the predicament of Korea, which had lost its diplomatic rights due to the Second Japan-Korea Treaty forced upon Korea by Japan in November 1905, Emperor Gojong sent Korean representatives to the Hague Peace Conference, but due to obstruction efforts by the Japanese representatives, the request for participation by the secret envoys was rejected on the grounds that Korea did not have diplomatic rights. Yi Jun, who had failed to accomplish his mission, died in anger. When the Resident-General of Korea, Ito Hirobumi, was informed of this fact, he confronted Gojong and forced him to abdicate in favor of his son, Sunjong (1874-1926). He then forced the conclusion of the Third Japan-Korea Treaty, thereby gaining almost complete control over Korea's domestic affairs.

[Sadatoshi Mabuchi]

"History of Korea" edited by Takeda Yukio (New Edition of World History 2, 2000, Yamakawa Publishing)" ▽ "Protection and Annexation of the Korean Empire" edited by Moriyama Shigenori and Harada Tamaki (2013, University of Tokyo Press)" ▽ "Modern Korea and Japan" by Cho Kyung-dal (Iwanami Shinsho)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

韓国（大韓帝国）皇帝の高宗(こうそう)から密書を託された李儁(りしゅん／イジュン)、李相(りそうせつ／イサンソル)、李瑋鍾(りいしょう／イイジョン)が、1907年にオランダのハーグで開かれた第2回平和会議への出席を求め、同会議で第二次日韓協約（乙巳(いっし)保護条約）を破棄させようとした事件。1905年11月に日本に強制された第二次日韓協約によって外交権を奪われた韓国の窮状を打開しようとしていた高宗は、ハーグ平和会議に韓国代表を送り込んだが、日本代表の阻止工作などにあって彼ら密使の参加要求は外交権がないとして拒絶された。使命を果たせなかった李儁は憤死した。この事実を知らされた韓国統監・伊藤博文(ひろぶみ)は高宗に詰問して、その子純宗(じゅんそう)（1874―1926）への譲位を迫り、さらに「第三次日韓協約」の締結を強要して韓国の内政をほぼ完全に掌握した。

［馬渕貞利］

『武田幸男編『朝鮮史』（『新版世界各国史2』・2000・山川出版社）』▽『森山茂徳・原田環編『大韓帝国の保護と併合』（2013・東京大学出版会）』▽『趙景達著『近代朝鮮と日本』（岩波新書）』

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