The Five Eulsa Traitors refer to the five officials serving under Emperor Gojong who signed the Eulsa Treaty of 1905, which made Korea a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

of Japan. The five officials were Education Minister Yi Wan-yong, Army Minister

Yi Geun-taek Yi Geun-taek (Hangul: 이근택, Hanja: 李根澤 30 September 1865 - 16 December 1919) was an official of Korean Empire who signed the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 as Minister of Military and became one of the Five Eulsa Traitors. He later became ...

, Interior Minister , Foreign Affairs Minister

Park Je-sun Pak Che-soon (; 7 December 1858 – 20 June 1916) was a Korean politician and diplomat during the late Joseon dynasty. His pen name was Pyeongjae (평재, 平齋). In modern South Korea, he is regarded as one of the Five Eulsa Traitors who ...

, and Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry Minister Gwon Jung-hyeon.

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

and the ministers of finance and justice strongly opposed the treaty, but they and the politically weakened Gojong were unable to effectively resist the Five, even though the Emperor refused to sign the treaty himself, an act required to bring the treaty to conclusion under Korean law. The Japanese government forced Prime Minister Han to step down and installed Park in his place. Widespread public dissatisfaction at the treaty was directed at the five ministers, and an "assassination group" was formed targeting the five. Yi Ji-yong's house was burned in the same year. Gwon Jung-hyeon was injured in an attack in 1907, and Yi Wan-yong was seriously injured in an assassination attempt in 1909. In 2005, the identified the names of the five officials responsible for the Eulsa Treaty, as part of its efforts to compile a directory of individual Koreans who had collaborated with the Japanese before and during its

colonial rule Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

. File:Lee Wan-yong Portrait.jpg, Yi Wan-yong
Education Minister File:Lee Geun-taek Portrait.jpg,

Army Minister File:Lee Ji-yong Portrait.jpg,
Interior Minister File:Park Che-soon.JPG, Pak Chesoon
Foreign Affairs Minister File:Gwon Jung-hyeon Portrait.jpg, Gwon Jung-hyeon
Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry Minister

External links

Research Center for National Issues (민족문제연구소)
– Korean language site.

Book review of ''Korea and the Politics of Imperialism, 1876–1910'', by C. I. Eugene Kim and Kim Han-kyo
– James B. Palais, ''The Journal of Asian Studies'', Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 863–864. * 민족문제연구소 – Wikipedia article in Korean
"Watch How You Use 'Traitor'"

JoongAng Ilbo ''The JoongAng'', formally known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'', is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also pub ...

2001.08.30 {{Authority control Korean Empire Korean collaborators with Imperial Japan Korean politicians Traitors in history

See also

External links