Pak Che-soon (; 7 December 1858 – 20 June 1916) was a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n politician and diplomat during the late

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. His pen name was Pyeongjae (평재, 平齋). In modern South Korea, he is regarded as one of the

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, ...

who betrayed the country into Japanese domination in 1905.

Biography

Pak was born in

Yongin Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the count ...

, outside

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 ...

where his father was a minor government official and supporter of Kim Yunsik. His family's clan name is Bannam (). In 1883, after passing the Korean Imperial Examination, he was sent to

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

. On October 9, 1898, he was promoted to the post of Foreign Minister, and it was in this capacity that he signed the

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 ...

(also known as the “Eulsa Treaty”), which effectively deprived Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty and made it a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), 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 m ...

of the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

. On November 28, 1905 he became a Minister of State. Pak was the

Prime Minister of the Korean Empire The prime minister of the Cabinet (, ''Naegak Chongri Daeshin'') of Korea during the Joseon dynasty was the non-executive head of government of the Korean Empire. The prime minister was appointed by the emperor of Korea had to enjoy the confid ...

from 1905 - 1907 and again from 1909 - 1910. From 1907 to 1910, Pak served as Minister of the Interior under

Ye Wanyong Ye Wan-yong (; 17 July 1858 – 12 February 1926), also spelled Yi Wan-yong or Lee Wan-yong ( ko, 이완용), was a Korean politician who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Korea. He was pro-Japanese and is best remembered for signing the J ...

. It was in this capacity that he signed the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, also known as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, was made by representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire on 22 August 1910. In this treaty, Japan formally annexed Korea following the Jap ...

, by which Korea was formally annexed by the Empire of Japan. On October 16, 1910, Pak received the

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ' ...

peerage title of Viscount (shishaku) from the Japanese government and a seat in the House of Peers of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

. He later served on the Central Advisory Institute of the

Government-General of Korea Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. Under the ''

Special law to redeem pro-Japanese collaborators' property The special law to redeem pro-Japanese collaborators' property (Hanja: 親日反民族行為者財產의國家歸屬에關한特別法, literally "''Special Law for the Nationalization of Pro-Japanese Race Traitors' Assets''") is a special South ...

'' enacted in 2005, the property of the descendants of nine people who had collaborated when Korea was annexed by Japan was confiscated by the South Korean government.

Honours

* Order of the Taegeuk 3rd Class on 22 April 1900 *

Royal Order of the Lion The Royal Order of the Lion (french: Ordre Royal du Lion; nl, Koninklijke orde van de Leeuw) was established by King Leopold II of Belgium on 9 April 1891, in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State, and was awarded for services to t ...

3rd Class on 26 October 1901

References

External links

Pak Chesoon

Pak Chesoon
1858 births 1919 deaths People from Yongin Kazoku Korean collaborators with Imperial Japan Prime Ministers of Korea Joseon politicians 19th-century Korean people {{Korea-politician-stub Imperial Korean military personnel Lieutenant generals of Korean Empire Politicians of the Korean Empire

Biography

Honours

See also

References

External links