Pak Seon - A scapegoat for regicide

Gwanghwamun in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

Korea in the mid-1890s was rapidly changing. The 1894-95 First Sino-Japanese War had ended Chinese dominance in the kingdom's politics and replaced it with Japanese reforms and interference. Nowhere were the changes more evident than in Seoul, as people from all over the country sought opportunities. People with initiative, courage and ability were able to find lucrative positions with the various new businesses, government organizations and industries being developed.

However, not all opportunities were legal. Seoul was awash in crime, and walking the streets at night could not only deprive a person of their hard-earned money but also their life. Many of the perpetrators were from the eastern provinces ― the northerners tended to sympathize with the Russians, while the southerners tended to align themselves more with the Japanese. One of these southerners was Pak Seon.

Pak Seon was a young street thug from the Fusan (modern Busan) area who specialized in assuring debts were paid. According to one source, he "was scarcely more than a boy" while another source indicates he was 26 years old.

Unlike most Korean men, Pak did not have a sangtu (topknot). He kept his hair short and wore Western or Japanese clothing ― and, allegedly, passed himself off on occasion as Japanese. It was fairly easy for him; having grown up in the Fusan area, he frequently associated with Japanese people and spoke the language fairly well. He did not go unnoticed by his fellow Koreans who denounced his manners as "peculiar."

A street in Seoul in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection

In November 1895, a female resident of Seoul ― known only as Ms. Kim ― was owed a large sum of money by a man who seemingly refused to pay. Ms. Kim was determined to get what was owed her and, seeking advice from friends, was told to hire a goon. She was assured that hired muscle with connections to the Japanese authorities would facilitate her efforts to get what was rightfully (?) hers.

Somehow she was introduced to Pak and the young man ― perhaps in a bid to strengthen his street credence ― boasted that he could summon 50 Japanese soldiers and 50 Japanese policemen whenever he needed help. Kim believed the brash young man and readily hired him to recover her 60,000 cash (about $24 in Seoul using the February 1895 exchange rate) ― and for his services he would receive half.

It is unclear how ― probably not through the use of Japanese police or soldiers ― but Pak soon collected Ms. Kim's money and was promptly paid. With a large sum of money at his disposal, he went out and celebrated with copious amounts of alcohol, which he likely shared with his hired female companions. Soon, Pak was out of money and, armed with a sword and emboldened with alcohol, went to Ms. Kim's house and demanded more money.

He reportedly told her that he was a great man and had killed many people ― including women ― who were a hundred times more influential than she was. He threatened to kill her, too, if she did not pay.

Circa 1927, Asodang, the residence of Heungseon Daewongun, which once stood near today's Mapo Station on Seoul Metro Line 5. / National Institute of Korean History

Apparently she was not very convinced so he told her that on Oct. 7 ― the previous month ― he had gone to the residence of Heungseon Daewongun, the king's father, (the residence, known as Asodang, was located near today's Mapo Station on Seoul Metro Line 5), and advised him of the state of the kingdom and provided him with guidance as to what course the country should take. As if this boast was not grand enough, Pak went on to tell Ms. Kim that after his visit to Daewongun, "he went to the Palace gate, cut down and killed General Hong with a sword, and had then gone into the Palace, seized the Queen, killed her and burned the body."

This horrific confession seems to have worked and Ms. Kim likely handed over a large sum of money so that he would leave her in peace. Pak would pay a horrible price for his drunken threats.

Shortly afterwards, Pak was arrested on some minor charges ― unrelated to Ms. Kim ― and placed in the city's prison. A high-ranking official from the law department arrived at some point and began to examine the prisoners, taking great interest in the young street thug. This attraction proved fatal for Pak.

Pak was taken from the cell and interrogated over the murder of the queen ― the facts of the case seem to have been provided primarily by Ms. Kim.

It was alleged that, early on the morning of Oct. 8, Pak was seen with a number of Japanese rioters near Gwanghwamun. He was spotted by Hong Kei-hun (an officer of the Palace Guard and staunch supporter of the queen) who denounced Pak as a traitor or rebel. Enraged, the young man struck down the Korean officer and rushed past him into the palace to the queen's apartments.

"There he seized her by the hair and dragging her out to the veranda, he stabbed her in the breast. Then he wrapped the corpse in a black blanket, and pouring kerosene oil over the whole, he set it on fire."

Pak vehemently denied the charges. He claimed that on the night of Oct. 7 he was on the other side of the city ― drunk ― and did not wake up until he heard gunfire from the palace area and stayed where he was throughout the day, probably still suffering from a hangover. He provided names of witnesses who, when questioned by the authorities, supported his alibi. Pak was guilty of many crimes, but not the murder of the queen. However, for him, it was too late ― the narrative of guilt had already been decided: "The fiction that the deed had been committed by Koreans disguised as Japanese was still to be kept up, and Pak Seon answered this purpose…"

A cell in a jail or prison in Seoul in the late 19th century / Robert Neff Collection

Allegedly (by a later investigation), Chang, the minister of law, gave orders for Pak to be tortured until he admitted guilt. Twice Pak endured the brutality of the court but refused to confess. But his lack of confession did not save him from his fate.

He, and two other defendants ― Lieutenant Yun Suk-woo, 40, and former Vice-Minister of War Yi Joo-hoi, 52, ― were tried and found guilty for their roles in the murder of the queen. According to the verdict, Yun's motives for being in the palace were suspicious and even more damning was his audacity of daring to move the charred remains of the "sacred corpse" ― so that he could "devoutly bury them" instead of throwing them into the pond as he had been ordered to do so by his superior. Yi was found guilty of giving incredible explanations for his presence in the palace.

Following their convictions, the three men were hastily executed. One account claims they were hanged, while another account claims they were strangled. I am inclined to believe they were hanged, as the latter method seems exceedingly cruel and was said to be a punishment for thieves. According to an 1893 description:

"[The prisoner] is bound and made to kneel on the floor of the prison room. A rope is then tied round his neck the end of which is carried out through a hole in the bottom of the wall, whereupon the gaolers outside pull hard and the prisoner inside is strangled in a short time. His body is then thrown into a sack and is carried on the back of a coolie outside the East Gate where it is deposited and left to rot."

Prisoners executed by hanging, circa 1900s / Robert Neff Collection

Almost immediately there was doubt as to the executed men's guilt. Yun Chi-ho bitterly wrote in his diary, "Yi and Yun committed no crimes worthy of death. If [Minister Chang] and his fellow regicides hope to deceive the world by such thin tricks, they are mistaken." Apparently Yun had no opinion as to whether or not Pak was guilty.

Horace Allen claimed a Korean official told him the only reason why Yun was executed was because he knew too much. A later court of enquiry agreed Yun was innocent of all charges. As for Yi, "for the sake of appearance and in order to shield the higher officials," a person of rank and reputation had to be sacrificed and he was the logical choice, as his relationship with the members of the pro-Japanese government had somewhat cooled and he had little influence.

As historian George Alexander Lensen summed it up: The Korean scapegoats were comparatively insignificant individuals without influential friends to rally to their side….The real culprits fared much better." The Japanese ― including members of the legation ― who took part in the attack upon the palace and the murder of the queen were never convicted in the Japanese courts, as it was deemed "there was insufficient evidence to prove that any of them had 'actually committed the crime originally mediated by them.'"

My appreciation to Diane Nars and Hyunuk Park for their valuable assistance.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.