Far Eastern question. How Russia vented with Japan
Being "opened" forcibly, the Japanese Empire very quickly and very skillfully learned to go out into the world as a force that easily resorted to violence in order to solve political and economic issues. At the same time, Japan took full advantage of its geographical and cultural proximity to such objects of world colonization as China and Korea. The Japanese government skillfully took advantage of mistakes and mistakes, and in some cases, outright nonsense, of the Russian government. Russia could not take full advantage of the fact that before Japan began to explore the Far East. The concession of Russian America, the serious mistakes in the "Chinese" and "Korean" policies of St. Petersburg, did not allow Russia to become a leader in this huge region.
Suffice it to say that Emperor Alexander II and Grand Duke Constantine and Russian America gave, and did not pay special attention to the Russian Far East. As a result, even by the end of the 19 century, the Far East for St. Petersburg was almost a foreign body in the empire. The indifference of St. Petersburg to the Far East generated and reciprocal indifference of a significant part of the local population to the European part of Russia (this situation was fully repeated by the Russian authorities in 1990 — early 2000-s).
Korean question
The "Korean" policy of St. Petersburg was also a failure. It was in a small but ancient Korea that a tight knot of mutual Russian-Japanese contradictions ensued, which became one of the main prerequisites of the future war of 1904-1905. The king of Korea, who proclaimed himself emperor at the end of the 19 century, was then a formal vassal of the Middle Kingdom. However, China itself was on the verge of collapse and turned into a semi-colony of great powers, therefore, it could not control Korean policy. Korea could not maintain independence at that time, since it was a weak state. It went to dependence on Japan, which after the Meiji Revolution turned into an industrial world power. However, Korea could become a part of the Russian Empire, if Petersburg came to the Korean Peninsula on time and significantly, that is, at the end of 1860 - the beginning of 1870's. When Japan could not compete on equal terms with Russia. It is clear that then Russia would spoil relations with China, the regime of Empress Tzu Xi. But that meant nothing. China was not then a force to be reckoned with. To spoil relations with Russia because of Korea, the Manchu dynasty would not have become because of its extreme weakness.
It should be noted that many Koreans perceived the Russians as the guarantor of the stability of Korea, and the Japanese saw invaders. Already in 1875, the Japanese launched a military raid on Korea. As part of the slogan "Asia for Asians", the Japanese planned to "liberate" the peoples of China and Korea from the influence of the Western powers. The Korean Peninsula was viewed as a convenient base for exerting pressure on Russia and China. In addition, the availability of natural resources in Korea and several convenient ports were taken into account.
It was a classic case of gunboat diplomacy. In April 1875, three Japanese warships with 800 soldiers entered the mouth of the Hang River, on which the Korean capital, Seoul, stood. It should be noted that the ultimatum presented to the Koreans was previously coordinated with representatives of the United States, Great Britain and France. Thus, the West deliberately sent the Japanese to Korea, which automatically led to the confrontation of Japan with China and Russia. In 1876, the Koreans were forced to sign an unequal trade agreement with Japan (the peace treaty on Kanghwado). Koreans opened three ports for free trade with the Japanese: Busan, Wonsan and Inchon. The country was deprived of customs autonomy. The Japanese also gained extraterritorial rights in Korea (lack of jurisdiction to the Korean courts) and the acquisition of land holdings. Following the conclusion of a treaty with the Japanese Empire, Seoul was forced to sign the same unequal treaties with other states: the United States and Britain in 1883, with France - 1886, Italy - 1884, Austria - 1892, Belgium, 1901 g .
Conclusion of a treaty on the island of Ganghwado.
However, Koreans were an independent, self-respecting people. In 1882, the first anti-Japanese uprising took place in Korea. The Japanese temporarily retreated. True, in December 1884 in Seoul there was a pro-Japanese palace coup. Capital residents responded by attacking the Japanese embassy, several people were killed. The Chinese supported the Koreans. The pro-Japanese government fled the country.
The first Russian-Korean friendship and trade treaty was signed in Seoul only on July 7 1884. Prior to that, Korea remained, despite the presence of a common land and sea border, the only neighboring state of the East, with which Russia did not have any official, diplomatic relations. This is a very regrettable fact. In St. Petersburg, the neighboring state did not notice at all, the timely help to which could give our Far Eastern policy very attractive and long-term prospects. Especially if one takes into account the fact that monarchical Korea was not averse to going to the hands of the Russians, almost the rights of accession! Russia could firmly settle in Korea during the time of Nikolai Muravyov-Amur and the founding of Vladivostok. However, St. Petersburg allowed the Japanese to outrun us in "Korean" affairs for almost a decade.
It was not too late to resolve the Korean issue in 1885, when Seoul, confused under the pressure of circumstances and a mass of new “friends” and “trading partners,” voluntarily expressed a desire to accept the direct protectorate of the Russian Empire. Direct protectorate! This would be the first step towards incorporating the Korean Peninsula into Russia. However, instead of leading the railways to the Far East, pursuing an active settlement policy by the Russian peasants of the Amur Region and at the first request of the Korean king, introducing Russian garrisons to Korea, St. Petersburg enthusiastically climbed into European politics. Russia got involved in European quarrels alien to its national interests. A very promising Korea was simply given away to Japan.
In April, 1885, China and Japan concluded in Tanjin a convention on equal rights in Korea and the refusal to deploy troops there. Troops from Korea mutually responded. True, this “balance” of forces was unstable and short-lived, since the Celestial Empire became weaker and the Japanese Empire became more powerful. Russia concluded a similar agreement on Korea in the 1886 year with China.
In Korea at this time there was a very strong pro-Russian party. The imperious and energetic Korean queen from the Min family was oriented toward Russia and grouped around herself all the active anti-Japanese forces. Queen to the very end remained a supporter of Russia. The weak-willed and weak King Ko Jong was traditionally influenced by China, but the Celestial Empire could no longer help the Korean people, she herself was a victim.
In 1894, a peasant uprising began in Korea. One of its main reasons was the ruin of peasants and artisans, caused by foreign goods that flooded the Korean market. The Korean government has asked for help from China and Japan. China sent several thousand soldiers to the peninsula, while the Japanese occupied Seoul. Japan took advantage of the opportune moment, the royal family was arrested, the puppet government of 80-year-old Te Won Gun (a former regent and father of the arrested king) was formed. The new government canceled Korea’s dependence on China and entered into agreements with the Japanese Empire. The Japanese government recognized the independence of Seoul from the Middle Kingdom. 27 July 1894, Seoul declared war on China and asked to expel Chinese troops from Korea. It is clear that in fact it was Japan that declared war on China. Japan defended the Korean "independence" and became the formal reason for the Sino-Japanese war 1894-1895. On August 26, Japan forced Korea to sign a military alliance agreement, according to which Seoul "trusted" Japan with the expulsion of Chinese troops from its territory.
The official declaration of war occurred only 1 August 1894 year. In fact, the war began on June 25, when the Japanese navy, without declaring war, attacked a detachment of Chinese ships at the entrance to Asan Bay near Phundo Island and destroyed one cruiser and sank the British ship Kaoshen (Coaching) with two battalions of Chinese infantry and 14 field cannons. Particularly barbaric looked like the Japanese fire on the Chinese fleeing the boats.
The death of "Coaching".
During the war, the Japanese occupied Korea, but they failed to gain a foothold there. Anti-Japanese protests by Koreans and political pressure from Russia interfered. However, after the Sino-Japanese War, Korea actually fell under the protectorate of the Japanese Empire. The king "ruled" the country from now on under the strict control of the Japanese. It must be said that from that time on, Petersburg began to intervene more actively in Korean affairs. But time was lost. Russia, having agreed on the “independence of Korea,” in fact, gave it away itself. China was in a state of growing crisis, and could not implement a real protectorate in Korea. Koreans also could not defend themselves. Russia has refused a protector over Korea. Establishing Japanese control over Korea was only a matter of time.
True, even in 1895, Russia still had a chance, with energetic actions Petersburg could rectify the situation in its favor. Japan, although rapidly increasing, was still quite weak. In June, 1895, in Korea, there were only 2 thousand Japanese soldiers. The Japanese fleet then was still much inferior to the Russian, if you take the overall ratio of warships. Petersburg still had the opportunity to transfer in advance the most powerful and new ships to the Far East, where at that moment the fate of the Asia-Pacific region was decided. Japan was not yet ready for war with Russia. 6 July 1895, at the initiative of Queen Ming, the king removed Japanese protégés from the government and appointed independent ministers. A new political course was put forward: “closer to Russia, farther from Japan.” Japan was denied the right to keep garrisons in the main cities of the kingdom. However, this last chance was missed.
20 September 1895, Consul General in Seoul, Weber sent a despatch to the Russian Foreign Ministry, in which he wrote: “It is highly desirable to receive categorical instructions from the imperial ministry regarding the extent to which it is possible to support the king. To deny him or to remain inactive in response to the preference and trust expressed towards Russia would have seemed to me not only undesirable, but even dangerous for our position here. ” Tsar Nicholas II made a note on this dispatch: “I share the thought of Weber.” Unfortunately, dropping everything and limited. Although earlier the young emperor also correctly noted that “Russia certainly needs a free and open port throughout the year. This port should be on the mainland (southeast of Korea) ... ".
At dawn 8 October 1895, the group of so-called. “Mercenary swords” - disguised Japanese gendarmes from embassy guards, diplomats, journalists and outspoken gangsters, broke into Gyeongbokgung Palace (the main and largest palace during the Joseon dynasty, located in the north of Seoul), broke up the guards and killed the Queen of Ming in her own bedroom. In order not to miss the queen - how exactly Min looks like, they did not know - the villains killed all the ladies in court who were with her. The direct organizer of the murder was the Japanese envoy to Korea, a retired general Miura Goro. The Japanese wanted to keep the murder secret, but there were witnesses, including two foreigners. One of them was the Russian watchman A. I. Seredin-Sabatin, who reported the incident to Russian attorney in Korea K. I. Weber. There was a noise, but there was little confusion. A court in Seoul convicted three Koreans who had nothing to do with the murder. A court in Hiroshima found the conspirators innocent.
King Ko Jong (Kojong) has lost all influence on state affairs and has come under house arrest. The Japanese and their henchmen again ruled Korea on his behalf. True, on February 11, 1896, he was able to escape and hid in the building of the Russian mission. There he issued a decree dismissing ministers of pro-Japanese orientation and replacing them with supporters of a close alliance between Russia and Korea. The Korean king (van) sat in the Russian diplomatic mission for a year, it was the time of the greatest Russian-Korean rapprochement. Unfortunately, there were no Russian armadillos and cruisers (as well as regiments of the Russian army) that could support the decisions of the Korean king with their guns. The best forces of Russian fleet guarded the capital, although at that moment the best solution was to transfer the ships of the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific Ocean, they were needed there. There was no real threat at that moment in the Baltic.
In May, the Russian envoy concluded 1896 with the Japanese representative of Komur Jutaro, the first Russian-Japanese agreement on Korea - the Memorandum of the Komura - Weber. The document was outwardly peacekeeping, both powers agreeing on the presence in Korea "in order to protect" an equal number of soldiers. This memorandum became the first serious stumbling block in relations between the Russian and Japanese empires. Already on June 9 in Moscow, the representative of Japan at the coronation of Nikolai Arimoto Yamagata and the head of the foreign affairs agency of Russia Alexey Lobanov-Rostovsky signed a new protocol on the Korean issue. The joint control of the two great powers over the budget and foreign loans of Seoul, control over the formation of the Korean armed forces and law and order forces was envisaged. Russian military instructors and financial advisers arrived in Korea. The Russian-Korean Bank was founded.
13 (25) April 1898, Russian envoy to Tokyo, Baron Roman Rosen, signed the last pre-war agreement between Russia and Japan over Korea. Under this agreement, Russia refused privileges in Korea and recalled its military and financial advisers. The Rosen-Nishi Protocol (head of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) was born in an atmosphere of sharply intensifying Russian policy in China and Korea - the “lease” of the Port Arthur zone, the construction of the CER in North Manchuria, in 1896, the first forest concession on the Yalu and Tumen rivers in Korea- Chinese border. It turned out that in the previous decades Russia, which had missed the chances of a sharp strengthening of its positions in the region, was heavily dragged into Korea and China, when it did not have military superiority in this theater. Japan, on the contrary, has sharply increased.
In the same period, in March 1898, Tokyo wanted to secure full freedom of its actions in Korea in exchange for recognizing “the special interests of Russia in Manchuria”. The proposal was quite sensible. Since Russia climbed into Manchuria and actually took away the military prize from Japan - the Liaodong Peninsula with Port Arthur, it would be possible to concede something. It was possible to offer the Japanese side a different option: since we were losing Korea, to offer its neutralization militarily, in exchange for the economic priority of Japan and the port for the Russian fleet in the south-east of the Korean Peninsula. However, St. Petersburg refused to spoil relations with Great Britain and the United States. Although these powers later support the Japanese aggression against Russia. This was Russia's old weakness - an eye on the "civilized world." In 1900, new Russian-Japanese negotiations began on the issue of Korea, but they were not successful.
Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905 gave Japan a full advantage on the Korean Peninsula. 17 November 1905 was signed by the Japanese-Korean Protectorate Treaty. In Korea, a post of Japanese resident general was established, which in fact controlled the administration of the country. Seoul lost the right to conduct an independent foreign policy, all trade in Korean ports was put under the control of the Japanese.
This had to be recognized even by the USA, which had its own views on Korea. In particular, the Katsura-Taft agreement (July 27 1905 talk between the head of the Japanese government, Katsura, and the personal representative of the American president, US Secretary of War W. Taft) provided for US non-interference in Japan’s policy towards Korea. The Americans even contributed to the Japanese occupation of Korea. In 1907, US Secretary of War William Taft (he will later become the president of the United States) will officially declare that the whole world must trust Japanese policy, which leads to the spread of "among the backward people of justice and education."
18 July 1907, under pressure from the Japanese, the Korean emperor was forced to abandon the throne in favor of his son Sunjon. 24 July 1907 of the year between the Japanese empire and Korea signed a new Japanese-Korean cooperation agreement. The rights of the Japanese resident general were greatly expanded, and the sovereignty of Korea was reduced. So, by agreement of the parties, the resident general made decisions related to administrative reforms, laws, high-ranking officers were appointed and dismissed, foreigners were appointed. An unpublished memorandum was attached to the agreement, which transferred the Korean army, police and courts under the control of Japan.
22 August 1910, Korea was finally annexed by the Japanese Empire. An agreement was signed on the accession of Korea to Japan. He was signed by the Japanese resident general, Terauti Masatake, and Korean Prime Minister, Li Wan. Article 1-I reported that the Korean emperor "completely and indefinitely yields to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan all sovereign rights to rule Korea." Article 2-I reported that the Japanese emperor accepts this concession and "agrees to the final accession of Korea to the Japanese Empire." The preamble to the treaty stated that the change was due to the need to maintain “peace and stability in Korea, to promote Korean prosperity and well-being,” in order to ensure a stable future.
This agreement was the logical conclusion of the failure of the Far Eastern policy of the Russian Empire in general and Korean policy in particular. Russia and Japan, thus, received even a small, but common land border on the mainland.
To be continued ...
Suffice it to say that Emperor Alexander II and Grand Duke Constantine and Russian America gave, and did not pay special attention to the Russian Far East. As a result, even by the end of the 19 century, the Far East for St. Petersburg was almost a foreign body in the empire. The indifference of St. Petersburg to the Far East generated and reciprocal indifference of a significant part of the local population to the European part of Russia (this situation was fully repeated by the Russian authorities in 1990 — early 2000-s).
Korean question
The "Korean" policy of St. Petersburg was also a failure. It was in a small but ancient Korea that a tight knot of mutual Russian-Japanese contradictions ensued, which became one of the main prerequisites of the future war of 1904-1905. The king of Korea, who proclaimed himself emperor at the end of the 19 century, was then a formal vassal of the Middle Kingdom. However, China itself was on the verge of collapse and turned into a semi-colony of great powers, therefore, it could not control Korean policy. Korea could not maintain independence at that time, since it was a weak state. It went to dependence on Japan, which after the Meiji Revolution turned into an industrial world power. However, Korea could become a part of the Russian Empire, if Petersburg came to the Korean Peninsula on time and significantly, that is, at the end of 1860 - the beginning of 1870's. When Japan could not compete on equal terms with Russia. It is clear that then Russia would spoil relations with China, the regime of Empress Tzu Xi. But that meant nothing. China was not then a force to be reckoned with. To spoil relations with Russia because of Korea, the Manchu dynasty would not have become because of its extreme weakness.
It should be noted that many Koreans perceived the Russians as the guarantor of the stability of Korea, and the Japanese saw invaders. Already in 1875, the Japanese launched a military raid on Korea. As part of the slogan "Asia for Asians", the Japanese planned to "liberate" the peoples of China and Korea from the influence of the Western powers. The Korean Peninsula was viewed as a convenient base for exerting pressure on Russia and China. In addition, the availability of natural resources in Korea and several convenient ports were taken into account.
It was a classic case of gunboat diplomacy. In April 1875, three Japanese warships with 800 soldiers entered the mouth of the Hang River, on which the Korean capital, Seoul, stood. It should be noted that the ultimatum presented to the Koreans was previously coordinated with representatives of the United States, Great Britain and France. Thus, the West deliberately sent the Japanese to Korea, which automatically led to the confrontation of Japan with China and Russia. In 1876, the Koreans were forced to sign an unequal trade agreement with Japan (the peace treaty on Kanghwado). Koreans opened three ports for free trade with the Japanese: Busan, Wonsan and Inchon. The country was deprived of customs autonomy. The Japanese also gained extraterritorial rights in Korea (lack of jurisdiction to the Korean courts) and the acquisition of land holdings. Following the conclusion of a treaty with the Japanese Empire, Seoul was forced to sign the same unequal treaties with other states: the United States and Britain in 1883, with France - 1886, Italy - 1884, Austria - 1892, Belgium, 1901 g .
Conclusion of a treaty on the island of Ganghwado.
However, Koreans were an independent, self-respecting people. In 1882, the first anti-Japanese uprising took place in Korea. The Japanese temporarily retreated. True, in December 1884 in Seoul there was a pro-Japanese palace coup. Capital residents responded by attacking the Japanese embassy, several people were killed. The Chinese supported the Koreans. The pro-Japanese government fled the country.
The first Russian-Korean friendship and trade treaty was signed in Seoul only on July 7 1884. Prior to that, Korea remained, despite the presence of a common land and sea border, the only neighboring state of the East, with which Russia did not have any official, diplomatic relations. This is a very regrettable fact. In St. Petersburg, the neighboring state did not notice at all, the timely help to which could give our Far Eastern policy very attractive and long-term prospects. Especially if one takes into account the fact that monarchical Korea was not averse to going to the hands of the Russians, almost the rights of accession! Russia could firmly settle in Korea during the time of Nikolai Muravyov-Amur and the founding of Vladivostok. However, St. Petersburg allowed the Japanese to outrun us in "Korean" affairs for almost a decade.
It was not too late to resolve the Korean issue in 1885, when Seoul, confused under the pressure of circumstances and a mass of new “friends” and “trading partners,” voluntarily expressed a desire to accept the direct protectorate of the Russian Empire. Direct protectorate! This would be the first step towards incorporating the Korean Peninsula into Russia. However, instead of leading the railways to the Far East, pursuing an active settlement policy by the Russian peasants of the Amur Region and at the first request of the Korean king, introducing Russian garrisons to Korea, St. Petersburg enthusiastically climbed into European politics. Russia got involved in European quarrels alien to its national interests. A very promising Korea was simply given away to Japan.
In April, 1885, China and Japan concluded in Tanjin a convention on equal rights in Korea and the refusal to deploy troops there. Troops from Korea mutually responded. True, this “balance” of forces was unstable and short-lived, since the Celestial Empire became weaker and the Japanese Empire became more powerful. Russia concluded a similar agreement on Korea in the 1886 year with China.
In Korea at this time there was a very strong pro-Russian party. The imperious and energetic Korean queen from the Min family was oriented toward Russia and grouped around herself all the active anti-Japanese forces. Queen to the very end remained a supporter of Russia. The weak-willed and weak King Ko Jong was traditionally influenced by China, but the Celestial Empire could no longer help the Korean people, she herself was a victim.
In 1894, a peasant uprising began in Korea. One of its main reasons was the ruin of peasants and artisans, caused by foreign goods that flooded the Korean market. The Korean government has asked for help from China and Japan. China sent several thousand soldiers to the peninsula, while the Japanese occupied Seoul. Japan took advantage of the opportune moment, the royal family was arrested, the puppet government of 80-year-old Te Won Gun (a former regent and father of the arrested king) was formed. The new government canceled Korea’s dependence on China and entered into agreements with the Japanese Empire. The Japanese government recognized the independence of Seoul from the Middle Kingdom. 27 July 1894, Seoul declared war on China and asked to expel Chinese troops from Korea. It is clear that in fact it was Japan that declared war on China. Japan defended the Korean "independence" and became the formal reason for the Sino-Japanese war 1894-1895. On August 26, Japan forced Korea to sign a military alliance agreement, according to which Seoul "trusted" Japan with the expulsion of Chinese troops from its territory.
The official declaration of war occurred only 1 August 1894 year. In fact, the war began on June 25, when the Japanese navy, without declaring war, attacked a detachment of Chinese ships at the entrance to Asan Bay near Phundo Island and destroyed one cruiser and sank the British ship Kaoshen (Coaching) with two battalions of Chinese infantry and 14 field cannons. Particularly barbaric looked like the Japanese fire on the Chinese fleeing the boats.
The death of "Coaching".
During the war, the Japanese occupied Korea, but they failed to gain a foothold there. Anti-Japanese protests by Koreans and political pressure from Russia interfered. However, after the Sino-Japanese War, Korea actually fell under the protectorate of the Japanese Empire. The king "ruled" the country from now on under the strict control of the Japanese. It must be said that from that time on, Petersburg began to intervene more actively in Korean affairs. But time was lost. Russia, having agreed on the “independence of Korea,” in fact, gave it away itself. China was in a state of growing crisis, and could not implement a real protectorate in Korea. Koreans also could not defend themselves. Russia has refused a protector over Korea. Establishing Japanese control over Korea was only a matter of time.
True, even in 1895, Russia still had a chance, with energetic actions Petersburg could rectify the situation in its favor. Japan, although rapidly increasing, was still quite weak. In June, 1895, in Korea, there were only 2 thousand Japanese soldiers. The Japanese fleet then was still much inferior to the Russian, if you take the overall ratio of warships. Petersburg still had the opportunity to transfer in advance the most powerful and new ships to the Far East, where at that moment the fate of the Asia-Pacific region was decided. Japan was not yet ready for war with Russia. 6 July 1895, at the initiative of Queen Ming, the king removed Japanese protégés from the government and appointed independent ministers. A new political course was put forward: “closer to Russia, farther from Japan.” Japan was denied the right to keep garrisons in the main cities of the kingdom. However, this last chance was missed.
20 September 1895, Consul General in Seoul, Weber sent a despatch to the Russian Foreign Ministry, in which he wrote: “It is highly desirable to receive categorical instructions from the imperial ministry regarding the extent to which it is possible to support the king. To deny him or to remain inactive in response to the preference and trust expressed towards Russia would have seemed to me not only undesirable, but even dangerous for our position here. ” Tsar Nicholas II made a note on this dispatch: “I share the thought of Weber.” Unfortunately, dropping everything and limited. Although earlier the young emperor also correctly noted that “Russia certainly needs a free and open port throughout the year. This port should be on the mainland (southeast of Korea) ... ".
At dawn 8 October 1895, the group of so-called. “Mercenary swords” - disguised Japanese gendarmes from embassy guards, diplomats, journalists and outspoken gangsters, broke into Gyeongbokgung Palace (the main and largest palace during the Joseon dynasty, located in the north of Seoul), broke up the guards and killed the Queen of Ming in her own bedroom. In order not to miss the queen - how exactly Min looks like, they did not know - the villains killed all the ladies in court who were with her. The direct organizer of the murder was the Japanese envoy to Korea, a retired general Miura Goro. The Japanese wanted to keep the murder secret, but there were witnesses, including two foreigners. One of them was the Russian watchman A. I. Seredin-Sabatin, who reported the incident to Russian attorney in Korea K. I. Weber. There was a noise, but there was little confusion. A court in Seoul convicted three Koreans who had nothing to do with the murder. A court in Hiroshima found the conspirators innocent.
King Ko Jong (Kojong) has lost all influence on state affairs and has come under house arrest. The Japanese and their henchmen again ruled Korea on his behalf. True, on February 11, 1896, he was able to escape and hid in the building of the Russian mission. There he issued a decree dismissing ministers of pro-Japanese orientation and replacing them with supporters of a close alliance between Russia and Korea. The Korean king (van) sat in the Russian diplomatic mission for a year, it was the time of the greatest Russian-Korean rapprochement. Unfortunately, there were no Russian armadillos and cruisers (as well as regiments of the Russian army) that could support the decisions of the Korean king with their guns. The best forces of Russian fleet guarded the capital, although at that moment the best solution was to transfer the ships of the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific Ocean, they were needed there. There was no real threat at that moment in the Baltic.
In May, the Russian envoy concluded 1896 with the Japanese representative of Komur Jutaro, the first Russian-Japanese agreement on Korea - the Memorandum of the Komura - Weber. The document was outwardly peacekeeping, both powers agreeing on the presence in Korea "in order to protect" an equal number of soldiers. This memorandum became the first serious stumbling block in relations between the Russian and Japanese empires. Already on June 9 in Moscow, the representative of Japan at the coronation of Nikolai Arimoto Yamagata and the head of the foreign affairs agency of Russia Alexey Lobanov-Rostovsky signed a new protocol on the Korean issue. The joint control of the two great powers over the budget and foreign loans of Seoul, control over the formation of the Korean armed forces and law and order forces was envisaged. Russian military instructors and financial advisers arrived in Korea. The Russian-Korean Bank was founded.
13 (25) April 1898, Russian envoy to Tokyo, Baron Roman Rosen, signed the last pre-war agreement between Russia and Japan over Korea. Under this agreement, Russia refused privileges in Korea and recalled its military and financial advisers. The Rosen-Nishi Protocol (head of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) was born in an atmosphere of sharply intensifying Russian policy in China and Korea - the “lease” of the Port Arthur zone, the construction of the CER in North Manchuria, in 1896, the first forest concession on the Yalu and Tumen rivers in Korea- Chinese border. It turned out that in the previous decades Russia, which had missed the chances of a sharp strengthening of its positions in the region, was heavily dragged into Korea and China, when it did not have military superiority in this theater. Japan, on the contrary, has sharply increased.
In the same period, in March 1898, Tokyo wanted to secure full freedom of its actions in Korea in exchange for recognizing “the special interests of Russia in Manchuria”. The proposal was quite sensible. Since Russia climbed into Manchuria and actually took away the military prize from Japan - the Liaodong Peninsula with Port Arthur, it would be possible to concede something. It was possible to offer the Japanese side a different option: since we were losing Korea, to offer its neutralization militarily, in exchange for the economic priority of Japan and the port for the Russian fleet in the south-east of the Korean Peninsula. However, St. Petersburg refused to spoil relations with Great Britain and the United States. Although these powers later support the Japanese aggression against Russia. This was Russia's old weakness - an eye on the "civilized world." In 1900, new Russian-Japanese negotiations began on the issue of Korea, but they were not successful.
Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905 gave Japan a full advantage on the Korean Peninsula. 17 November 1905 was signed by the Japanese-Korean Protectorate Treaty. In Korea, a post of Japanese resident general was established, which in fact controlled the administration of the country. Seoul lost the right to conduct an independent foreign policy, all trade in Korean ports was put under the control of the Japanese.
This had to be recognized even by the USA, which had its own views on Korea. In particular, the Katsura-Taft agreement (July 27 1905 talk between the head of the Japanese government, Katsura, and the personal representative of the American president, US Secretary of War W. Taft) provided for US non-interference in Japan’s policy towards Korea. The Americans even contributed to the Japanese occupation of Korea. In 1907, US Secretary of War William Taft (he will later become the president of the United States) will officially declare that the whole world must trust Japanese policy, which leads to the spread of "among the backward people of justice and education."
18 July 1907, under pressure from the Japanese, the Korean emperor was forced to abandon the throne in favor of his son Sunjon. 24 July 1907 of the year between the Japanese empire and Korea signed a new Japanese-Korean cooperation agreement. The rights of the Japanese resident general were greatly expanded, and the sovereignty of Korea was reduced. So, by agreement of the parties, the resident general made decisions related to administrative reforms, laws, high-ranking officers were appointed and dismissed, foreigners were appointed. An unpublished memorandum was attached to the agreement, which transferred the Korean army, police and courts under the control of Japan.
22 August 1910, Korea was finally annexed by the Japanese Empire. An agreement was signed on the accession of Korea to Japan. He was signed by the Japanese resident general, Terauti Masatake, and Korean Prime Minister, Li Wan. Article 1-I reported that the Korean emperor "completely and indefinitely yields to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan all sovereign rights to rule Korea." Article 2-I reported that the Japanese emperor accepts this concession and "agrees to the final accession of Korea to the Japanese Empire." The preamble to the treaty stated that the change was due to the need to maintain “peace and stability in Korea, to promote Korean prosperity and well-being,” in order to ensure a stable future.
This agreement was the logical conclusion of the failure of the Far Eastern policy of the Russian Empire in general and Korean policy in particular. Russia and Japan, thus, received even a small, but common land border on the mainland.
To be continued ...
Information