A Tumultuous Homecoming

In the autumn of 1885, Korea witnessed a politically charged spectacle as the Daewongun, the former regent and father of King Gojong, returned from exile in China. The Joseon court’s reception was not merely cold—it was openly hostile. On the very day of his arrival, the court executed two of the Daewongun’s most loyal retainers, Kim Chun-yeong and Lee Yeong-sik, sending a clear message of defiance. Yet, while the palace turned its back, the Korean populace greeted the aging statesman with heartfelt sympathy. Crowds lined the streets from Incheon to Hanseong (modern-day Seoul), their cheers and tears contrasting sharply with the court’s icy silence.

This paradoxical reception revealed the deep fractures within late Joseon politics. The Daewongun, once a dominant reformist ruler, had been sidelined by his daughter-in-law, Queen Min (later Empress Myeongseong), whose faction now controlled the court. His return, orchestrated by Qing China, was a calculated move in the high-stakes game of imperial influence over the Korean Peninsula.

The Geopolitical Chessboard

Korea in the 1880s was a battleground for competing foreign powers. The Qing Dynasty, Japan, Russia, and Western nations like Britain all vied for influence over the Hermit Kingdom. The Daewongun’s repatriation was masterminded by Yuan Shikai, the ambitious Qing diplomat stationed in Korea, who sought to counterbalance Queen Min’s growing ties with Japan and Russia.

Upon landing in Incheon—one of Korea’s three treaty ports alongside Busan and Wonsan—the Daewongun was met not by court officials but by foreign diplomats. British and Japanese consuls paid visits to the Qing office where he stayed, while rumors swirled that Queen Min had summoned a British warship to Incheon as a silent protest against Chinese interference. The message was clear: Korea had options beyond Qing overlordship.

The Court’s Silent War

Behind palace walls, Queen Min’s faction moved swiftly to neutralize the Daewongun’s influence. They issued an eight-point decree under the guise of “honoring” him, which in reality placed him under house arrest at his residence, Unhyeongung. Soldiers were stationed around the palace, and court officials were barred from contacting him. Meanwhile, Yuan Shikai protested the executions and the military encirclement, though his leverage was limited—his mission was simply to deliver the Daewongun, not to dictate Korean policy.

The real power broker behind the scenes was Paul Georg von Möllendorff, a German advisor to Queen Min. Recently dismissed by the Qing for scheming with Russia, Möllendorff continued advising the Korean court, pushing for closer ties with St. Petersburg. Yuan Shikai countered by submitting a scathing memorandum, The Exposure of Traitorous Plots, warning King Gojong of Russian ambitions. The document reportedly shocked the royal couple into temporarily distancing themselves from Möllendorff—a small victory for Yuan.

The Rise of Yuan Shikai

Yuan’s brief but impactful stay in Korea marked a turning point in his career. His forceful diplomacy impressed Li Hongzhang, the Qing viceroy overseeing Korean affairs. When Li mused about appointing a more “decisive” envoy to replace the cautious incumbent, Yuan—barely in his late twenties—boldly suggested himself. To everyone’s surprise, Li agreed. By year’s end, Yuan Shikai would return to Korea as the Qing’s top representative, a role that would shape his rise as one of modern China’s most formidable figures.

Legacy of a Fractured Kingdom

The Daewongun’s return underscored Korea’s precarious position as a pawn in Great Power rivalries. The Qing’s heavy-handed intervention alienated Queen Min, driving her further toward Russia and Japan—a shift that would culminate in her assassination a decade later by Japanese agents. Meanwhile, Yuan Shikai’s ascendancy foreshadowed the Qing’s eventual loss of Korea to Japan after the 1894–95 Sino-Japanese War.

For modern historians, this episode illuminates the tragic dynamics of late Joseon Korea: a kingdom torn between reform and conservatism, sovereignty and subjugation, whose struggle for survival ultimately ended in colonial annexation. The Daewongun’s muted homecoming was not just a family drama—it was the prelude to a national tragedy.