page_title: Timeline of the Gwangmu Reform
section_title: Later modernizations  (1897–1905)
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the Gwangmu Reform / Later modernizations  (1897–1905)
caption_attribution_description: English: Jongno Street in Seoul during the Korean Empire.
context_page_description: The following is a timeline of the Gwangmu Reform, which was a reforms for modernize Korea from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Although many people have the notion that this period was marked with the fight for power between Heungseon Daewongun and Queen Min, it was rather the era of great changes relevant to modernisation after the harsh oppressive years during the "Regency" of King Gojong's father. This reform also was one of the most successful for modernising in a short period of time during Korean history. Although the reform was mostly centred on the time period after the proclamation of the Korean Empire, it includes a number of other previous events that are closely related to the reform.
context_section_description: Phase two of the Gwangmu Reform began with the proclamation of the Korean Empire on 4 October 1897. Efforts for modernisation were spurred with the coronation of Gojong as Emperor but were restrained by Japan after the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. The main innovator in this phase is Emperor Gojong.
  1897:  February. King Gojong established the Board of Marshals (원수부,元帥府). All military power was henceforth centralized to the Emperor.
  1897:  20 February. King Gojong (고종,高宗) returned to the palace after 1 year of refuge at the Russian legation.
  1897:  September. The Donghwa Pharmacy opened in Seoul, Korea. The established corporation, now known as the Dong Wha Pharmacy Corporation., Limited (동화약품(주),同和藥品(株)). The company, now the oldest pharmacy-based corporation in Korea, has products that are nationally famous, with its 'folding fan' trademark.
  1897:  October. Gojong declares the Korean Empire (대한제국,大韓帝國) and became the Gwangmu Emperor, the first imperial head of state and hereditary sovereign of the Empire of Korea. Most historians view this as the official declaration of the Gwangmu Reform (광무개혁,光武改革). Soongsil Academy was founded in Pyongyang as a private school by Dr. William M. Baird, a missionary of the Northern Presbyterian Church of America. The Soongsil University is its descendant.
  1897:  November. John McLeavy Brown constructed his lasting legacy upon the Korean Empire- the Pagoda Park. It is notable the March 1st Movement, an important part in the Korean independence movement was initiated in this park.
  1898:  January. The Seoul Electric Corporation (한성전기회사,漢城電氣會社), or the Korea-American Electric Corporation (한미전기회사,韓美電氣會社) was opened as a joint-venture company between Americans Henry Collbran, H.R. Bostwick and Emperor Gojong. A public corporation it was responsible for the construction of the streetlamps in Seoul, along with imports of numerous other electricity-related devices. The Korea Electric Power Corporation (한국전력공사,韓國電力公社) is its descendant.
  1898:  May. The Jong-hyun Catholic Church (종현본당,鐘峴本堂) was finished of construction. It was the first Gothic architecture to be built in Korea. It was later called the Myeongdong Cathedral (명동성당,明洞聖堂), the centre of the Korean 20th century. It is registered as a national historical landmark.
  1898:  August. Brown reported blueprint of the Pan-Korean railway to Gojong.
  1898:  September. Kim Hong-nyuk (김홍륙,金鴻陸) attempted assassination of Gojong by putting excess amount of opium in his coffee. It is to be noted that Gojong was a coffee lover. While Gojong spat out the coffee upon drinking it, his son Sunjong (순종,純宗) drank the opium-tainted coffee and suffered from mental and physical disabilities from the incident.
  1898:  September 5. The Imperial Capital Gazette released its first print. The president of the company was Nam Gung-euk (남궁억,南宮檍).
  1899:  January. Several Korean entrepreneurs and high-ranking officials, such as Sim Sang-hun (심상훈,沈相薰), Minister of Agriculture Min Byung-suk (민병석,閔丙奭), Field Marshal Min Yung-gi (민영기,閔泳綺), Vice-minister of Justice Yi Geun-ho (이근호,李根澔), Head of the Treasury (전환국장,典圜局長) Yi yong-ik (이용익,李容翊), Minister of National Defense (원수부군무국장,元帥府軍務局長) Jo dong-yun (조동윤,趙東潤), Song Mun-sup (송문섭,宋文燮), Jung yung-du (정영두,鄭永斗) and Kim gi-young (김기영,金基永) established the Daehan Chunil Bank (대한천일은행,大韓天一銀行). The bank operated as both a local bank and central bank. The bank is the predecessor of the Woori Bank.
  1899:  April. The Gwangjaewon (광제원,廣濟院), the first modern national hospital, opened. It is the present-day Seoul National University Hospital, which is one of the biggest hospital in South Korea and a forerunner in many fields of medical sciences.
  1899:  May. American businessmen Henry Collbran and H.R.Bostwick opened the first tram lines within Seoul (the West gate-East gate line).
  1899:  August. The promulgation of the Korean Imperial Legislation (대한제국국제,大韓帝國國制) by the Ministry of Justice (법규교정소,法規校正所). This is of certain significance, as it led to Gojong's success in modernisation of the empire. It also took international laws into consideration
caption: The modernisation of Seoul and its effects.
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