The later Empress was of aristocratic background and in was chosen by the de facto Regent Heungseon Daewongun to marry his son, the future King Gojong. Seven years later his daughter-in-law and her Min clan forced him out of office. Daewongun was a conservative Confucian later implicated in unsuccessful rebellion against his daughter-in-law's faction.
He believed in isolation of Joseon from all foreign contact as a means of preserving independence. She, by contrast, was a believer in gradual modernisation using Western and Chinese help. From to her assassination in she oversaw economic, military and governmental modernisation.
In the s and s the relationship between Joseon and neighbouring Japan deteriorated. The queen consort was considered an obstacle by the government of Meiji Japan to its overseas expansion. The intruders then allowed a group of ronin , specifically recruited for this purpose, to assassinate the queen consort. Her assassination sparked international outrage.
The Japanese-backed cabinet in the winter of β ordered Korean men to cut off their top-knot of hair. This caused uproar, because this style of hair was considered a badge of Korean identity. The anti-Japanese backlash led to the repeal of the Gabo Reform , which had introduced other measures increasing Japanese influence. Whilst there, he proclaimed the founding of the Korean Empire [ 5 ] and raised the status of his deceased wife to Empress.
As was the custom in late Joseon society, the woman who came to be Empress Myeongseong never had a personal name. Changes in her marital status or the status of her husband are reflected in her own title. In Western terms, she was nameless throughout her life. For convenience the description queen regent is not separately used.
