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In the early morning of October 8, 1895, one of the "worst atrocities ever in history" was committed in Korea as the Japanese troops stationed in Seoul and a gang of thugs broke into the Gyeongbok Palace and assassinated Empress Myeongseong. The one who attacked her with a sword was Second Lieutenant Miyamoto Taketaro (宮本竹太郞) of the Japanese Army. Later in that morning, at 9:20, Niiro Tokisuke (新納時亮), a major in the Japanese Navy, wired the primary report ("King Safe, Queen Murdered") to the General Staff of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters.

This telegram with 'Confidential' stamped on it vividly conveys the urgency of the situation at the time. What does it mean that the Imperial General Headquarters were notified immediately? It was a military operation. The mastermind behind it was Vice Chief of Staff Kawakami Soroku (川上操六), who also planned the Sino-Japanese War. As a senior army advisor and commissary general for the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters in Hiroshima, he was planning two urgent operations simultaneously in October 1895. One was to assassinate the Queen of Korea, who was at the center of her country's move to invite Russia in and put its distance from Japan as it had found out about Japan's weakness resulting from the Triple Intervention. The other was to send about 76,000 troops for a large-scale war of occupation when there was strong resistance in Tawian, which Japan had acquired through the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Who made the final decision? Of course, the greatest responsibility lies with Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi (伊藤博文). Also responsible are Inoue Kaoru (井上馨) and other veteran statesmen behind the Meiji Restoration, who, like Ito himself, thought that to invade Korea was their most urgent goal.

The incident in which the Japanese troops in Korea broke into the Palace and assassinated the Queen appalled the world. As traditional monarchies, the Western powers also raised critical voices. First Lieutenant Kusunose Yukihiko (楠瀨幸彦), the boss of the spies in Seoul, made an urgent report of that situation to Kawakami.

A study that revealed the whole story of the Eulmi Incident came out in 2009. In The Assassination of Empress Myeongseong and the Japanese by the Korean-Japanese scholar Kim Mun-ja, the name of the assassin became known for the first time. It is also in this book that the name Kawakami Soroku first appeared in Korean historical research. It was 64 years after the liberation of Korea.

Historical Research in the 120th Year Since the Eulmi Incident and the 70th Year Since the Liberation of Korea

This year marks the 120th year since the Eulmi Incident and the 70th year since the liberation of Korea. Last year, which was the 120th year since the Donghak Peasant Revolution/Sino-Japanese War/Gabo Reform and the 110th year since the Russo-Japanese War, a number of organizations and societies held all kinds of events in celebration. One of the events that stood out was a conference on the Donghak Peasant Revolution and the Sino-Japanese War. Unfortunately, however, there was no important conference that could be called a turning point in research. By contrast, at the conference held in Weihai (威海) City in the Shandong Province of China in celebration of the 120th year since the Sino-Japanese War, over as many as 120 papers were presented. Although it explored the existing themes and major events, this conference could be called a turning point in the research of the Sino-Japanese War. This is an example that we might need to follow.

Korea in the year 2015, celebrating the 70th anniversary of its liberation, is a country different from what it was 120 years ago. It is evidently clear that Korea has made development in every aspect of society, and its status in the international community has also changed. Every year, a great deal of academic research results are being accumulated in every field of study. And great results have been achieved in Korean historical research as well. But it is a major problem that there is still a vacuum in studies that must be done.

There are many events in Korean modern and contemporary history that need to be examined in the context of East Asia. There are also not a few primary sources that one has to look for in Japan and China. The truth about the Eulmi Incident that occurred 120 years ago was not the kind of subject that could be studied with Korean sources alone. That explains why it was a Korean-Japanese scholar who has achieved the valuable results. It is time to show a growth in collecting and studying materials.

People Hidden Behind Ito Hirobumi and Lee Wan-yong

It is the duty of historians to pass down to posterity the experience of losing one's country and living in a colony in the form of academic results. To begin with, people hidden behind the five traitors including Lee Wang-yong must be found. While the names of those high-ranking officials who should be held accountable for our country's downfall, and those royals and high officials who fully cooperated (with Japan) are being forgotten, there is still a controversy surrounding the minor officials' acts of cooperation.

More importantly, it is necessary to reveal the nature of the crimes committed by Inoue Kaoru and Terauchi Masatake (寺內正毅) among others hidden behind Ito Hirobumi the symbol of aggression.

The General Staff of the Japanese Army chose major generals from the military academy and sent them as spies to Korea. These spies, while conducting espionage, e.g. collecting intelligence and making maps, led the raid on the Gyeongbok Palace, the assassination of the Queen, the operation to wipe out the Donghak Peasant Troops, and the massacre of volunteer troops. With the expansion of Japan's targets of aggression, the intelligence officers started expanding the areas of their activities. Their acts of espionage, which had begun in Korea and China, spread to Russia and other parts of Europe. They were remarkable figures, including Fukushima Yasumasa (福島安正) and Akashi Motojiro (明石元二郎), just to name a few. Fukushima Yasumasa, who became famous for crossing Siberia by himself in 1892, is the one who led the raid on the Gyeongbok Palace in 1894. And Akashi Motojiro, who attempted to cause disturbances in Russia during the Russo-Japanese War, was the Provost Marshal and Chief of Police under the Resident-General Terauchi Masatake, ridding Korea of its sovereign rights and placing it under military rule.

Little investigation was made into these figures, and this is a fatal flaw in Korean modern and contemporary historical research. To add one more thing, there is not a single study about the Officer Miwa Wasaburo (三輪和三郞) with the Jongno Police Department who spoke fluent Korean. He was a legendary figure for his prowess in oppressing national patriots and arresting independence activists. Reportedly, he returned to Japan right after its defeat in the war and spent his later years in comfort.

Japan is a neighboring country that has had historical experiences intertwined with those of Korea for a long time, and will also continue to be in a love-hate relationship with Korea for a long time to come. A foundation for companionship and cooperation can be built on facing, and overcoming, the past on the basis of scrupulous historical research. Having experienced the pain of losing our country, we had to do studies that could be accepted by the intellectuals of not only Japan but the rest of the world. That there is still much to be desired today, even after 70 years since the liberation, means that historians have failed to fulfill their duties. I confess that I feel strongly responsible for it.