Korean Empire passports were issued to subjects of the
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 ...
for international travel.
History
The first English-language passports of the Korean Empire were issued in 1902 by the People's Comfort Agency ( ko, 수민원; 綏民院) to
Koreans migrating to Hawaii. By 1904, passport issuance was conducted by the Imperial Korean Foreign Office ( ko, 대한제국 외부). The passport was written in English, French, and
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
, and contained the bearer's name, address, age, and destination.
Soon after the 1910 advent of
Japanese rule in Korea
Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offici ...
, Koreans began having to use
Japanese passport
are issued to Japanese citizens to facilitate international travel. As of 2022, with holders able to travel visa-free to 193 countries and territories, it has been ranked as the most powerful passport in the world.
History
The first travel docu ...
s. These were not always easy to obtain; the Japanese rulers issued then as a rule only to a small number of pro-Japanese collaborators () and/or the Japanese police demanded bribes for these passports to be issued. Even these were in fact colonial subject passports just like
BN(O)
British National (Overseas), abbreviated BN(O), is a class of British nationality associated with the former colony of Hong Kong. The status was acquired through voluntary registration by individuals with a connection to the territory who ha ...
passports and a special permit was required to travel to Japan (abolished only at the end of Japanese rule when the Allied naval blockade disabled travels from/to Japan anyway) Thus, some Koreans resorted to naturalising as citizens of China and acquiring
Republic of China passport
The Republic of China (Taiwan) passport () is the passport issued to nationals of the Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan. The ROC passport is also generally referred to as a Taiwanese passport. As of September 2020, approximately ...
s instead. However, for those aiming to travel to the United States this method created its own difficulties, as the bearers of such passports then became subject to the provisions of the United States'
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplom ...
. Other Koreans with connections to the Shanghai Exile Government were able to obtain travel documents from there; however, its acceptance was guaranteed as the Shanghai Exile Government was only recognized by the then Republic of China(now Taiwanese) government. Once Korea became liberated by the US, the interim Korean administration re-issued the Jipjo.
Surviving examples of Korean Empire passports are rare. One specimen is the passport of An Cheol-yeong, preserved by his son An Hyeong-ju of Hawaii; in 2012, the younger An donated that passport and his collection of nearly 2,500 other documents of
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian Americans ...
history to the
National Library of Korea
The National Library of Korea is located in Seoul, South Korea and was established in 1945. It houses over 10 million volumes, including over 1,134,000 foreign books and some of the National Treasures of South Korea.
It was relocated within S ...
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 ...
. Another specimen is the passport issued in 1903 to diplomat
Min Yonghwan
Min Yeong-hwan (민영환, 閔泳煥; 7 August 1861 - 30 November 1905) was a politician, diplomat, and general of the Korean Empire and known as a conservative proponent for reform. He was born in Seoul into the powerful Yeoheung Min clan whi ...
, which is held by the
Soongsil University
Soongsil University (SSU) is the first modern university in Korea, dating its history back to 1897. It was founded under the Christian missionary William M. Baird. The campus is located in 369 Sangdo-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Histo ...
Museum.
See also
*
North Korean passport
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea passport, commonly referred to as the North Korean passport, is the passport which may be issued to North Korean citizens for international travel. Since the majority of North Koreans do not get opportu ...
*
South Korean passport
The Republic of Korea passport ( ko, 대한민국 여권, Daehan Minguk yeogwon), commonly referred to as the South Korean passport, is issued to a South Korean citizen to facilitate their international travel. Like any other passport, South K ...
References
External links
*
{{Passports
Defunct passports
Korean Empire