The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-20
C0REAN lNTRIGUES.
THE UGGLES OFTHE MINIS AND
 THE KIMS FOR SUPREMACY
In Court Councils.

lc OpeTaS than can pc round III the cOur
 of Corea. The scenes that are constant
 ly occurring in the palace of the empe
 TOT are as funny as those in "Alice ii
 Wonderland" or "The Wizard of the
 Nile" but although they are amusing
 to the spectators, they are usually fata
 ot the particitants. The emperor is 2
 prisoner in his own palace, restrained
 by fear of assassination as well as by
 the rules of etiquette adopted by his an
 cestors Thus he is entirely dependent
 upon the honesty, loyalty and judgment
 of his advisers, who as rule are the
 most corrupt, cruel and conscienceless
 scoundrels in the world
 Since the assassination of the empress
 two years or more ago by Japanese so-
 cialists, Emperor Yi's widowed heart
 has been consoled by the caresses of
 Lady Om, who has gained an influence
 over him that is almost absolute. Two
 factions, headed by large and powerful
 fanliliee, the Mins and the Kins, have
 struggled for control of affairs. The
 leader of the latter faction, Kim Yang l jun, or "One- Eyed Kim" as he is com monly called, has been minister of the | household for the last two years, and
 as such has had control of the palace and the park in wliichit stands and the
 person Of the emperor. Nobody, except
 Lady Om has equalled his influence in the government They have usually
 pulled together, and have made large
 sums of money by bribes, and exercised
 extraordinary power because of their hold upon his imperial majesty. Lady Om is believed to be loyal and honest in way, and has protected the
 king from the results of intrigue, but she Is suspected of sympathy with the Russians, and has often been accused, like Ii Hung Chang, of familiarity with Russian gold, while "One- Eyed Kim" has leaned toward the Japanese.
 Min Yung-yu, the head of the other faction, has been minister of foreign affairs and a Japanese sympathizer. Of necessity he has been compelled to maintain friendly relations with Kim, because he could not reach the emperor without him.
 These are the personae dramatis of the latest comedy enacted at the Corea court, of which the information comes to Washington by the recent mails.
 I HG JdpdueSe IillillSlST SuCCecuSu III persuading Min Yungyu to sell his government the island of Roze, in the bay of Chemulpo, which gives the Jap anese control of the harbor of the chief port of the Corean empire and the ap- preach to Seoul, the capital. In order to obtain the approval of the king, One Eyed Kim must be admitted to the conspiracy, and he, lacking confi- dence in his own power of persuasion, introduced to the palace new charm er who bears the name of Lady Krong. She Is so attractive and winning that the imperial soul was immediately en- tranced, and the imperial signature and seal were soon attached, to the treaty by which the island of Roze was trans ferred to Japan.
 Kim and Lady Rang pocketed the price of their Influence, and she was about to leave the palace and return to the place where her bower had been previously concealed, when the king flew into rage and forbade her depar- ture.f He ordered palace to be built for her accommodation in the imperial park, placed a chain of gold around her neck and is reported to have offered to marry her, but Lady Kong was too wise to imperil her beautiful head.
 When the sale of Roze Island was announced there was a storm of public indignation, and even the powerful Kim could not prevent the Russian minister and other members of the diplomatic corps and the leaders of affairs among the natives from invading the palace. 1 and remonstrating against the transfer | to a foreign power of the key to the | commerce and the capital of the king l lom.
 Vi called upon "One-Eyed Kim" for m explanation, and the latter "gave way" Minister Min, who was arrested md thrown into prison. The whole amily of Mins arose to save their chief, md produced evidence that Kim was he chief conspirator and had received ! big bribe from the Japanese minister. Lady Om caught on to the gossip and J discovered that Kim had introduced a ival at the palace Kim was despe- ate. The Mins were hard enough to landle but he soon realized the truth if the old saying that Hell hath no ury like woman scorned" One day, with other communications, he present. d to the king a letter from the crown rincc, Eui- Wfa, who is now student t Roanoke college, accusing Lady Om f endeavorng to entice him into con- piracy to overthrow his father and eize the throne. Kim declared that he id not believe 8 word of 1t, that Lady )m was loving and loyal woman, ut the poison entered the einperol's oul He refused to have anything fur her to do with Lady Om and devoted imself entirely to his new favorite. hen Lady Om and the Mins got to- ether and organized combination gainst Kim. By the employment of electives, the bribery of servants and y other methods familiar to the Co., cans, they succeeded in convincing the mperor that Kim, "the man with the : ellow eye, the yellow heart and the ellow hand,'' had forged the letter gned by His Highness Prince Eui- 1ha, and had himself sold Roze Island , the Japanese.
 Kim was arrested, tortured mutila- d and strangled in the courtyard, here within less than a year at his or CTS seven of his enemies were execu- d in the same cruel manner By his ! Nn methods he died, anu Lady hang IS disappeared. No one knows what as become of her, although Lady Om erhaps might give some interesting in- al |