Han Kyu-seol (Hangul:한규설, Hanja:韓圭卨 29 February 1848 – 22 September 1930) was a prime minister of

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

when

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, also known as the Eulsa Treaty, Eulsa Unwilling Treaty or Japan–Korea Protectorate Treaty, was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1905. Negotiations were concluded on November 17, 19 ...

was signed. Han opposed the treaty, but he failed to prevent it from being signed.

Life

Han was born on 29 February 1848 in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. In his young age, Han passed the

Gwageo The ''gwageo'' or ''kwago'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge of the Chinese cla ...

's military examination. In 1884, Han became the commander of army of the in

Gyeongsang Gyeongsang ( ko, 경상도, ''Gyeongsang-do''; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the Kingdom ...

-right province. During the

Gapsin Coup The Gapsin Coup, also known as the Gapsin Revolution, was a failed three-day coup d'état that occurred in Korea during 1884. Korean reformers in the Enlightenment Party sought to initiate rapid changes within the country, including eliminatin ...

, his younger brother, Han Kyu-jin was killed.

Gojong of Korea Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) was the monarch of Korea from 1864 to 1907. He reigned as the last King of Joseon from 1864 to 1897, and as the first Emperor of Korea from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is known ...

was pathetic about him so that Gojong appointed Han one of the Commissioner Generals of the police. With

Yu Kil-chun Yu Kil-chun (1856–1914) was an intellectual, writer, politician and independence activist of Korea's late Joseon Dynasty. He was also the first modern Hangeul researcher and the author of a book of travel impressions: ''Seoyu gyeonmun'' (서� ...

, Han traveled

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. After the proclaim of

, Han was appointed in many important jobs. On 15 February 1902, Han was appointed as Minister of Law. On 27 August 1905, Han was appointed as the prime minister, then Lieutenant General of the army on 8 November 1905. As a prime minister, Han opposed the Eulsa Treaty. However, Han failed to prevent the treaty from being signed. After the treaty of 1905 was signed, Han, as well as

Five Eulsa Traitors 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 of Japan. The five officials were Education Minister Yi Wan-yong, Army Minister Yi Geun-taek, ...

, got a lot of criticism from the people. After the treaty, Han was removed from office on 17 November 1905 for doing an inappropriate thing inside the palace.

Choe Ik-hyeon Choe Ik-hyeon (; 1833–1906, also transliterated as Choe Ik-hyun) was a Korean Joseon Dynasty scholar, politician, philosopher, and general of the Korean Righteous Army guerrilla forces. He was a strong supporter of Neo-Confucianism and a very ...

wrote that Han also has a great fault for the treaty, which is not caring his ministers and letting them to agree. Han wrote memorial about this incident. Han wrote that at the first time, all of the ministers were against signing the treaty. However, when Han was locked in Jungmyeongjeon, ministers started to agree. After the signing, he tried to invalidate the treaty by dismissal to the five ministers but, Han was who got dismissal. On 30 November 1905, his dismissal was canceled. After, he still was an official of Korea. He was one of the member of national assembly and special official in

Gungnaebu Gungnaebu (literally "Department of the Royal Household") was a Korean government office in charge of affairs related to the royal household of the late period of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. In the government organization during the Joseon Dynas ...

. On 18 December 1906, Han was appointed as the speaker of Junchuwon. In 1907, he was removed from the army because he did not have any placement. After the annexation of Korea,

Japanese Government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

gave Han title of Baron but Han refused. In 1920, Han established Joseon education organization with some others. He died on 22 September 1930 in Cheongju City. On 17 March 1977, Han's house became heritage of

Honours

Order of the Palgwae Order of the Palgwae was an order of chivalry of the Korean Empire that was given to military personnels and officials. It was established on 16 April 1901. The order was divided into eight classes. Form Order of the Palgwae had eight gwaes in ...

1st Class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Kyu-seol 1848 births 1930 deaths Lieutenant generals of Korean Empire Officials of the Korean Empire Imperial Korean military personnel 19th-century Korean people 20th-century Korean people Politicians of the Korean Empire