ABSTRACT
Korea, like the other nations of East Asia, has been caught up in the web of Western imperialism. For centuries a 'Hermit Kingdom', in the late nineteenth century Choson was forced to come to terms with the various nations which for their own purposes sought to bring her out of her isolation. After considerable dickering, the Japanese forced on the Korean government the first Western-style treaty, the Treaty of Kanghwa, in 1876. This treaty was followed by treaties with the United States in 1882, with the United Kingdom and the German Empire in 1883, and with other European nations shortly afterwards. The 1880s also saw the first Western settlements in Korea, initially in Inch'on, and then later in the capital and the interior cities. These merchant settlements provided the locations for the first missionary settlements when the missionaries arrived in the mid-1880s. The Japanese settled in the ports, being especially numerous in Pusan. Japanese attempts to modernize and control Korea brought Japan into direct conflict with China, notably in the Post Office Banquet coup of 1884. The Chinese decisively maintained their position of privilege in Korea in these conflicts, but the Japanese became determined to defeat China and make her relinquish her nominal suzerainty over Korea.
