
Heungseon Daewongun (21 December 1820-22 February 1898), born Yi Ha-eung, was the father of King Gojong of Korea and Regent of Joseon from 21 January 1864 to 31 October 1873.
Biography[]
Yi Ha-eung was born in Hanseong, Joseon on 21 December 1820 (present-day Seoul, South Korea), a 9th-generation descendant of King Injo of Joseon. Yi's early career as a low-ranking court official was marked by difficulty in obtaining high positions in spite of his royalty, but, on the death of the childless King Cheoljong of Joseon in 1863, Yi's son Gojong was chosen to become king. Yi, renamed "Heungseon", was appointed Daewongun (regent) for his young son, and he attempted to crush the old ruling faction of usurpers at the Korean court by inaugurating an anti-corruption campaign, disciplining the royal clans, and taxing the yangban aristocracy. Heungseon also continued Joseon's policy of isolationism, opposing treaties, trade, Catholicism, and contact with either the West or Japan. His persecution of Christians resulted in French and American expeditions against Joseon in 1866 and 1871. However, Heungseon's reactionary reforms failed to have a long-lasting effect, and his son overturned many of his father's reforms on assuming personal rule in 1874. In 1882, Heungseon briefly returned to power during a reactionary coup by the traditional Joseon army against Gojong and his Japanese-trained modern army in the "Imo Incident". Heungseon was able to restore his powers as regent before both Chinese and Japanese troops intervened at the behest of Empress Myeongseong, and Heungseon was kidnapped by the Chinese and imprisoned in Tianjin until 1885, when he was allowed to return to Korea. Heungseon failed in his bid to support Yi Jun-yong's usurpation of power from Gojong due to Heungseon's opposition to the court's pro-Russian turn, and, in 1894, the Japanese liberated Heungseon from house arrest after he agreed to serve as a pro-Japanese regent of Korea during the Gabo Reform. However, the Japanese quickly deduced that Heungseon could not be trusted, and he was deposed in 1894, only to gladly aid Japanese agents in assassinating Empress Myeongseong in 1895. He died in 1898, and his son refused to attend his father's funeral, as their relationship had soured irreversibly.