Late Joseon and Modernization Movements
What this domain tests
This domain tests Silhak, new religions and peasant movements, the 1894 reforms, the Korean Empire, and the loss of sovereignty. Expect cause-and-effect questions.
Core facts
- Silhak ("practical learning") includes Yi Ik, Yu Hyeong-won, and Jeong Yak-yong; it criticized empty formalism and proposed land and administrative reform.
- Donghak was founded by Choe Je-u; the Donghak Peasant Revolution began in 1894.
- The Gabo Reforms (1894-1895) were government-led modernizing measures, not Donghak policies.
- Korean Empire was proclaimed in 1897; Gwangmu Reform followed.
- Eulsa Treaty (1905) made Korea a Japanese protectorate; Ahn Jung-geun assassinated Ito Hirobumi in 1909.
- The Hague Secret Emissary Affair (1907) exposed Korea's lack of diplomatic sovereignty.
Worked example
Stem: "The Donghak Peasant Revolution directly caused which government reform?" Reason: the 1894 uprising pressured the government, which launched the Gabo Reforms. But Donghak did not design or lead Gabo. The correct link is causation by pressure, not authorship.
Traps
- Silhak is not one school with one program; scholars differed.
- The Korean Empire (1897-1910) existed before annexation; do not call it a colony from 1897.
- 1905 is a protectorate treaty; 1910 is annexation.
- Modernization was not only pro-Japanese; it included nationalist and popular movements.