Yoon,+Hyunho+(Peter)+KAG+TL

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Treaty of Ganghwa -Before the treaty of Ganghwa, Japan had strengthened itself through the Meiji revolution and was looking to expand its empire as did other imperialist states. Due to factors such as geographic location, Japan chose Korea to be its target. Thus the Treaty of Ganghwa was signed through the means of gunboat diplomacy, which favored the Japanese. This treaty opened Korea up to trade with Japan, and ended the role of China as Korea's protectorate. This served as the start of Japan's plans to take over Korea. Making Korea independent was actually used by the Japanese to limit Chinese influence on the country.

Gapsin Coup -The Gapsin coup was a response to the power struggle in the Korean government and the consequent chaos. The organizers of the coup tried to take over Korea with the help of Japan, and they succeeded despite being short-lived. The coup was eventually put down by the help of Japan, but gave Japan a stronger foothold on Korea. This showed Japan's ambitions to rule Korea. Donghak Revolution -Donghak was a religion created in response to Christianity, or western thought. This attracted many followers, and the group organized a revolution to change the state of Korea to match their ideal state. This revolution was ended by Chinese troops sent to Korea and the Japanese soldiers sent in response to China's action. This became a representative event of the conflict between Japan and China over who should have responded to the crises, and who should in the future. This eventually led to the Sino-Japanese war.

Sino-Japanese War -The Sino-Japanese war was a result of the conclusion of the Donghak Revolution and the heightened tensions between China and Japan over which country had the right to interfere in Korean affairs. Japan won this war, and the two nations signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki. This treaty ultimately ended Chinese protection of Korea, opening it up to Japan.

Assassination of Queen Min -With the fall of China, Koreans turned to Russia for help. Queen Min was one of the major people for Russian alliance, which the Japanese perceived as an obstacle in their plans for Korea. Queen Min was thus assassinated, to eliminate a threat to their Korean campaign. Her assassination was the removal of an individual who challenged Japanese annexation, as well as the lessening of Russian protection of Korea.

Citation Bell, Kirsten. "Cheondogyo and the Donghak Revolution : The (un)making of a Religion." //Macquire University//. 2004. Web. 16 May 2012. .

N/a. "Donghak Peasant Revolution." //- New World Encyclopedia//. New World Encyclopedia, 2 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 May 2012. .

Caraway, Bill. "A New Relationship." //A New Relationship//. Korean History Project, 16 Dec. 2006. Web. 15 May 2012. .