Traditional international order of East Asia was a submission to the stronger and friendship among neighboring countries system with the Chinese-oriented view that is based on China. Chosun had been stayed in this view for long time, Moreover Chosun c...
Traditional international order of East Asia was a submission to the stronger and friendship among neighboring countries system with the Chinese-oriented view that is based on China. Chosun had been stayed in this view for long time, Moreover Chosun concentrated on Chinese thought.
But 19 century of international society, the economic invasion that are based on the capitalistic system reached for East Asia and The Qing entered into the order of international law. Moreover, the outer country in order of Chinese, Japan started breaking the order of tribute for China. Official, Chosun entered into the order of international law with making a contact for defense with Japan on 1876.
Even if Chosun entered new international order, the consciousness of Chosun still stayed in the Chinese-oriented view. After Kim, Hong Jip introducing the 『Chosun Chakrak(stratagem)』in 1880 and defending orthodoxy and reject heterodoxys opposition was continued withthe movement of Memorial of Ten Thousand Men of Kyeongsam Province, the debate about the system of the Chinese-oriented view and the system if international law became serious in Chosun.
But that time a large majority apposed against the system of international law except the King Gojong and some enlightenment group.
The Imoh coup detat of troop, its an event that came from the compliant formoving into the new system of international law. But The Qing grasped an opportunitythru this event to do policy for strengthening suzerainty with changing the existing system of the Chinese-oriented view into another active intervention system. The Qings dependency policy raised the King Gojong and enlightenment groups consciousness of anti-Qing and it became a origin of forming the consciousness of anti-Qing for people of Chosun. Moreover, the consciousness of anti-Qing was formed by kidnapping the Regent Taewon-gun who was the prominent leader of the Chinese-oriented view. Actual anti-Qingrose in against active economic invasion after contacting for amphibious trade between Chosun and Qing.
The Reformist Revolution in 1884 was the expression of anti-Qing and independent spirit by group of enlightenment opposed against the Qings dependency policy. But it was finished in 3 days and it caused the Qings active intervention system. According to the Qings active intervention system, Wonseigae tried to dethrone King Gojong at last. In response to it, King Gojong and anti-Qing group tried get out of the Qings intervention system by remove the Qing using Russia thru secret understating with Russia and by loan from the great power of Western. These efforts were progressed choice since it took s step forward to overcoming the Qing using the order of international law from the consciousness of anti-Qing in Imoh coup detatof troop
In other side, Chosun met great pain and bleeding by the Sino-Japanese War in the Korean peninsula. But the Chinese-oriented view was changed rapidly by experience for the comparison Qings troops with Japanese troops directly. Differ from specially-selected and well-trained Japanese soldiers, the relaxation of Qings military discipline as rape, plunder and misdeed was a target of criticism and resentment from Chosun people. Furthermore it gave a great disappointment to Chosun people who were on side of the Qing rather than Japan.
Especially Japanese troops gave understanding of a superiority complex than Qings troops by systematic operation of troops. With this, the another meaning of the Sino-Japanese War, it was a war between the Qing who is the center of traditional international law as the Chinese-oriented view and the Japan who is an agent of western international law as capitalistic system. The rout of Qing, it was an opportunity of changing the awareness for Qing as a center of Chinese-oriented view. The Qing became a semi colony who made a failure of modern international law from the traditional center of Chinese-oriented view and oppressor after Imoh coup detat of troop.
Differ from exiting consciousness of anti-Japan, another strong consciousness of anti-Japan was aroused against Japan who disseized Kyungbok Palace, killed agrarian soldiers and accelerated the economic invasion after war. It was an opportunity of changing the consciousness of anti-Japan against invasion of imperialist from barbarian even if it was not changed after opening of ports.
The result of Sino-Japanese War caused not only changes in traditional international law from 17 century but great changes in traditional system, international relationship and order in Northeast Asia.
The rout of Qing by small Japan, it opened a prelude of Chinese division by the great power of imperialism. In other word, it caused the imperialistic struggling of the great power of western.
By the Simonoseki treaty(1895 April) that was caused by the Sino-Japanese War, Qing leased Yodong peninsula, Taiwan and Pangho archipelago to Japan. But Japan gave back Yodong peninsula after the Triple Intervention.
Especially, as a result of the Triple Intervention, Russia leased the right of construction and operation for Siberian railroad, Yusoon and Daeryun. Germany leased gulf of Kyojoo, France leased gulf of Kwangjoo and England leased Weihaewei and Gooryong peninsula. With this, these countries set up exclusive rights and interests in these area.
By the Simonoseki treaty(1895 April) that was caused by the Sino-Japanese War, the great powers could lease any portion of Qings realm for their rights and interests and Qing fell into the position of semi colony. This status of Qing was no more central country of world. Also Qing became a semi colony as Chosun rather than the target of anti-Qing as an oppressive country.
According to the result of the Sino-Japanese War, Chosun could get out of fantasy as the Qing is the center of the world and could change the consciousnessof international order to realistic international law. Moreover, based on change of consciousness, Chosun announced to the world that Chosun parted with Chinese-oriented world by proclaimiong the Daehanjaekook and establishing the name of an era with name of emperor.And Chosun severed from Chinese-oriented world officially by concluding a commercial treaty with Qing using an international law.
But the reject heterodoxy group who still insisted on defending orthodoxy and reject heterodoxy differentiated the Chinese-oriented view. It was specialized in two. One was the consciousness of international law that classifies countries into China and barbarian. And the other was morality that was based on Neo-Confucianism. After the Sino-Japanese War, they denied the existence of Qing as a central country in the world when they were aware of internationalorder. But the Neo-Confucianism as meaning of morality still existed in central thought. And this thought engrafted into small Sino centrism and the consciousness that only Chosun keep correct moral sense formed the base of the signs of the nationalistic consciousness.
Like this, changing of consciousnessfrom traditional international order to new international order has a great meaning. First, out of understanding with the Chinese-oriented view and understanding the situation of the world actually, the meaning is it made a circumstance for Chosun to understand Chosun faced a international crisis. We can guess the importance since the three countries (Qing, Japan and Chosun) in East Asia, met a turning point to decide the position of modern society by severing from the consciousness of the Chinese-oriented view and changing the consciousness into international law. Qing coped passively with moving into international system because of the pride of central country of Chinese-oriented system. As a result, Qing became a semi colony country and Japan gained a footing for appearing as leading country in East Asia by changing positively.
Chosun did not get out of traditional international view based on the Chinese-oriented view and pretended to be a protector of traditional order. So, Chosun could not understand the international situationand became a colony of Qing and Japan.
When Chosun understood some system of international order by the Sino-Japanese War, the world was trying another transformation. With the Sino-Japanese War, competition between the imperialisms was accelerating and imperialistic invasion was more serious in the world. So, the world met a point of time to increase the subordination to colony.When Chosun overcame the international order based on international law hardly, it also became an old international order. So, the general changes of Chosuns consciousness for international order after the Sino-Japanese War have a meaning that it got out of Chinese-orientedconceptual world view. But it has a limitation as failure of adopting for changing actuality rapidly.
Second, it has a meaning for forming the basis of modern nationalism. Similar to Western Middle Ages lacks a concept for nation-state by the consciousness of universal international order from Christianity, the Chinese-oriented view in Chosun was the biggest obstacle for forming the consciousness of modern nation-state. Therefore overcoming the traditional international view based on the Chinese-oriented view was a basis of nationalistic though that the survival of nation has priority than the Confucian moral sense. And it became a foundation for growing consciousness of civil right that appeared in activities of independence club and union of the whole nation.