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Pak Yŏnghyo | |
|---|---|
 Pak in 1910 | |
| Prime Minister of Joseon | |
| In office May 21, 1895 – May 31, 1895 | |
| Monarch | Gojong |
| Preceded by | Kim Hong-jip |
| Succeeded by | Bak Jeongyang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 June 1861 |
| Died | 21 September 1939(1939-09-21) (aged 78) |
| Domestic partner | Princess Yeonghye |
| Relatives | Bannam Park clan |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 박영효 |
| Hanja | 朴泳孝 |
| RR | Bak Yeonghyo |
| MR | Pak Yŏnghyo |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 춘고; 현현거사 |
| Hanja | 春皐; 玄玄居士 |
| RR | Chungo; Hyeonhyeongeosa |
| MR | Ch'un'go; Hyŏnhyŏn'gŏsa |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 자순 |
| Hanja | 子純 |
| RR | Jasun |
| MR | Chasun |
Pak Yŏnghyo (Korean: 박영효;Hanja: 朴泳孝; 12 June 1861 – 21 September 1939) was aKorean politician from theJoseon period, an enlightenment activist, diplomat, andpro-Japanese collaborator. He was one of the organizers of the 1884Kapsin Coup, in which progressive political elements attempted to overthrow the conservative Korean government. He becomePrince Consort Geumneung through his marriage toPrincess Yeonghye,King Cheoljong's daughter.
Pak Yŏnghyo was born inSuwon, south ofHanseong. He was the third son of Pak Won-yang and his mother was Lady Yi of the Jeonui Yi clan.
By birth, he also had a distant connection with the Royal Family: his 7th great-grandfather was Pak Se-gyo (박세교;朴世橋; 1611–1663), the only son ofKing Seonjo's 5th daughter, Princess Jeongan (정안옹주; 1590–1660), and Pak Mi, Prince Consort Geumyang (박미 금양위;朴瀰 錦陽尉; 1592–1645).
Pak Yŏnghyo was also an adoptive 16th great-grandson of Pak Eun (박은, 朴誾; 1370–1422) who was the great-great-grandfather ofQueen Inseong, wife ofKing Injong, and the 4th great-grandfather ofQueen Uiin, first wife ofKing Seonjo. Thus making him distant cousins with the queens.
On April 3, 1872, he was chosen to be the spouse ofPrincess Yeonghye, the only living daughter ofKing Cheoljong, the 25th King ofJoseon. However, the princess died just three months after their wedding.
Together withKim Okkyun, Pak was a strong supporter of the Dongnipdang, or "Enlightenment Party", which sought to reform the government, economy, and military by incorporating Western technology and methodology, so that Korea would become stable enough to withstand increasing foreign encroachment. He accompanied Kim on his visit toTokyo, meeting with various influential Japanese politicians, includingFukuzawa Yukichi.
He is credited with creating the firstKorean national flag, in 1882.[1]
Pak was one of the leaders of the 1884Kapsin Coup that attempted to overthrow the government and institute Western-style reforms. The coup attempt lasted only three days before its suppression by Chinese troops. He was forced to flee to Japan, where he initially stayed withFukuzawa Yukichi, before moving on toKobe.
Following theJapanese Occupation of Gyeongbokgung Palace, Pak returned to Korea with some of his entourage, such asLee Kyu-wan andRyu Hyeok-ro. Arriving Seoul on 23 August 1894, Pak requested a discursive authority to reform the country toGojong. But because public ideas about reforms remained so negative due to theKapsin Coup, Pak was not able to gain great political power, and instead fled toIncheon. Following the Japanese victory ofBattle of Pyongyang, the Korean public started to regard Japan as the new leading power in Asia. Finally on 9 December, Pak and his allies gained political independence.[2] Furthermore, Pak successfully managed the coup ofHeungseon Daewongun, who was trying to makeYi Jun-yong the king. Pak gained the trust of Gojong and the Japanese minister.[3] The SecondKim Hong-jip cabinet was established, and Pak was appointed as Minister of Interior.[2] Even though Pak was not the prime minister, he gained great authority to equal that position.[3] Pak did not enjoy being a puppet of Japan; he started to build his own political basements by appointingLee Kyu-wan as the commander of police andRyu Hyeok-ro as the Director of Artillery.[2] However, Pak once asked Gojong to replace his bodyguards with Hunryeondae, which was a Japanese-influenced organization. This proposal made the king furious; the Min regime identified Pak as an enemy, forcing Pak to flee to Japan again. After the removal of Pak, the new cabinet became pro-American, Russian, and English, consisting ofBak Jeongyang,Ye Wanyong,Yi Bum-jin, andMin Young-hwan.[4]
Following theJapan-Korea Treaty of 1910, in which Korea was annexed to the Empire of Japan, Pak was awarded with thekazoku title of marquess (koshaku) in the Japanese peerage, and a seat in theHouse of Peers in theDiet of Japan. He served as Director of theBank of Chōsen in 1918, Chairman of the Korean Economic Association in 1919, first president ofThe Dong-A Ilbo newspaper in 1920, president of theKyungbang Corporation, chairman of the Korea Industrialization Bank in 1921, and advisor to theGovernment-General of Korea's Central Institute.
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Pak didn't remarry due to the connections he gained through his marriage to Princess Yeonghye.
Thus having him to take in 3 concubines which produced 3 illegitimate children; 1 daughter, Pak Myook, and 2 sons, Pak Chinsŏ and Pak Ilsŏ. Among Pak's granddaughters wasPark Chan-ju, who was married to PrinceYi U, and was the mother ofYi Cheong.
Pak Chanju's younger brother, Pak Chanbŏm (박찬범, 朴贊汎; 17 August 1917 – 23 November 1986) eventually married, and later divorced,Yi Kang's third illegitimate daughter, Yi Haech'un (이해춘; 1921–2009), and had one son Pak Hyŏngu (박형우, 朴亨雨; 1937–2012).
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