Chemulpo Treaty
The Treaty of Chemulpo (Chemulpo is an obsolete name for Incheon ) was an unequal treaty between the Empire of Japan and the Korea of the Joseon Dynasty , which was signed in 1882. It was Japan's reaction to the destruction of its legation in the country in the wake of a coup . The treaty allowed Japan to use the military in Korea to protect its citizens and diplomatic property, and required the Korean state to pay compensation.
background
In the course of the Meiji Restoration , Japan modernized itself according to Western models in a centrally controlled campaign from above. After the success of the reforms within the country, the Meiji oligarchy developed a foreign policy which, as a reaction to Western imperialism, opposed its own Japanese imperialism in Asia. Due to its proximity to the main Japanese islands and as a transit station to Manchuria , Korea was a major expansion destination for the Japanese political elite.
In 1876 Japan had secured contractual ports and extraterritoriality for its citizens through the Japanese-Korean Friendship Treaty . During the 1880s, there was political instability in Korea with riots, coup attempts and political killings of high-ranking figures. In addition to Japan, Great Britain and Russia also sought to secure influence in Korea.
Political crisis and contract conclusion
Due to the internal unrest, the Japanese government planned to expand its position of power in Korea by stationing a mixed brigade . The Chinese Empire , which Korea still regarded as its vassal, anticipated the Japanese stationing by reinforcing its own troops.
In order to make a Japanese intervention less likely, the Korean leadership gave in to the Japanese demands, since it was not up to a military confrontation with the strengthening Japan in consultation with the Qing dynasty . The treaty gave Japan the right to militarily protect its exiles in Incheon and Seoul, as well as its diplomatic institutions. For this purpose, the treaty allowed a permanent Japanese troop presence. The Korean side was given reparations of four million yen .
The contract negotiations on the Japanese side were conducted by Inoue Kaoru .
consequences
The Korean government had financial problems after the contract was signed. The Japanese government paid the amount again in 1884 in an attempt to gain political influence at court. The Japanese government viewed the outcome of the crisis as unsatisfactory and the terms of the contract as insufficient. A similar crisis between China and Japan was resolved in the Treaty of Tientsin in 1885 . The tension over Korea finally culminated in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b S.CM Paine: The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War. Cambridge, 2017, p. 10
- ↑ a b c S.CM Paine: The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95: Perception, Power and Primacy. Cambridge, 2004, 2006 pp. 93-94
- ^ A b c d Peter Duus: The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910. Berkeley, 1995, p. 57, p. 69, p. 84