ic point too valuable to be allowed to pass into the hands of
any one of the nations which covet it. And it is also easy to foresee
that in the interval existing until its absorption, Korea must remain,
also like Turkey, merely the plaything of diplomacy and the
battle-ground for rival nations.

Until the year 1876 Korea was really a "Hermit Kingdom," with every
current from the outside world carefully excluded. In that year her
near neighbor, Japan, made the first rift in the enclosing shell. A
treaty was concluded opening Chemulpo, Fusan and Won-San to Japanese
trade. The civilizing tide pressed in, and by 1883 the United States,
France, England and Germany had all concluded treaties and Korea was
open to the outside world.

The government of Korea at this time was simply an organized system of
robbery and extortion--wearing not even the mask of justice. The
undisguised aim of officialdom was to extort money from the people; and
the aim of the high-born Korean youth (or _yang-ban_) was to pass the
royal examination in Chinese classics, which was requisite to make him
eligible for official position, and then join the horde of vampires who
fed upon the people. At irregular intervals there were revolts, and
under the pressure of violent acts temporary relief would be afforded;
then things would go on as before.

While such was the perennial condition of political unrest, a rebellion
of a different sort broke out at Seoul in 1885--an anti-foreign
rebellion--which had for its purpose the expulsion of all the foreign
legations. This led to negotiations between China and Japan having an
important bearing upon subsequent events. Li Hung Chang, representing
China, and Marquis Ito, the Japanese Foreign Minister, held a
conference (1885) at Tien-tsin, which resulted in what is known as the
"Li-Ito treaty." In view of the disorders existing, it was agreed that
their respective governments should hold a joint control in Korea, each
having the right to dispatch troops to the peninsula if required. This
agreement was later expanded into a joint occupation until reform
should be established insuring security and order. These negotiations
left Korea as before an independent state, although tributary to China.

The Koreans attributed their calamities to their Queen, a woman of
intelligence and craft, who managed to keep her own family in the
highest positions and also, by intriguing with China, to thwart
Japanese reforms