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1 2 3 4 TIMELINE: MAJOR EVENTS SINCE 5 6 THE OPENING OF KOREA (1876) 7 8 9 10 1  2 3 4 2 February 1876 The Korea-Japan Treaty of Kanghwa (Korea-Japan) 5 signed. Korea “opened. 6 10 April 1881 The “Gentlemen” delegation dispatched to Japan. 7 6 April 1882 Treaty signed with the US. 8 4 April 1884 Treaty signed with Britain 9 4 May 1884 Treaty signed with Italy. 20 15 May 1884 Treaty signed with Russia. 1 17 October 1884 Kim Ok Gyun leads the Gapsin Coup. In a few days, 2 Chinese forces are able to overwhelm the Progressives 3 and their Japanese supporters. 4 3 May 1886 Treaty signed with France. 5 1892 Dong Hak founder restoration movement. 6 10 January 1894 Farmers’ revolt in Go Bu (Dong Hak peasant 7 Revolution). 8 1 August 1894 Sino-Japanese War breaks out. 9 17 April 1895 The Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed between the 30 Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the 1 First Sino-Japanese War. 2 20 August 1895 Queen Min murdered (Eul Mi Sa Byeon). 3 11 August 1897 Korean Empire proclaimed by King Kojong. 4 30 January 1902 The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance signed. 5 8 February 1904 Russo-Japanese War breaks out. 36 23 February 1904 Protocol signed between Japan and Korea. 37 29 July 1905 US and Japan form the secret Katsura-Taft. 38 17 November 1905 Japan establishes a protectorate over Korea; Japan 39 assumes control over Korean foreign affairs. 40 June 1907 The Second Peace Conference was held in the Hague. 41 Emperor Gojong secretly sent three representatives to 42 bring the problems of Korea to the world’s attention. 43 The three envoys were refused access to the public 44 debates by the international delegates who claimed 45 it would violate the legality of the protectorate 46R 3346_17_TIMELINE.qxp 11/1/10 12:13 PM Page 384

384 Korea’s Foreign Policy Dilemmas

1 convention. Out of despair, one of the Korean repre- 2 sentatives, Yi Jun, committed suicide at the Hague. 3x 22 August 1910 Korea becomes a colony of Japan when Prime Minister 4 Yi Wan-yong signs the Treaty of Annexation, which is 5 proclaimed by Emperor Sunjong on 29 August 1910. 6 27 July 1914 World War I breaks out. 7 8 January 1918 US President Woodrow Wilson enunciates his 8 Fourteen Points. 9 11 November 1918 World War I ends. 10 22 January 1919 Death of former Chosun King/Emperor Kojong. 1 1 March 1919 March First Movement begins. Shut-downs spread 2 throughout the peninsula, increasing in frequency 3 throughout March and reaching their peak in early 4 April. 5 9 April 1919 Korean Provisional Government formed in Shanghai. 6 10 June 1926 Attempts to launch nationwide protests on the day of 7 former Emperor Sunjong’s funeral unsuccessful. 8 September 1931 The Manchurian Incident precipitates the Japanese 9 military takeover of Manchuria, which becomes the 20 Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo. 1 June 1937 Gradual escalation of Japanese military activity in 2 China culminates in all-out war against China follow- 3 ing the Marco Polo Bridge incident outside Beijing. 4 September 1940 Kim Il Sung abandons guerilla campaign and retreats 5 into the Soviet Union, where he and his group eventu- 6 ally join the Red Army. 7 7 December 1941 The Pacific War begins with the Japanese bombing of 8 Pearl Harbor. 9 22–26 November 1943 Joint Declaration by China, the UK, and the United 30 States at the Cairo Conference, that Korea should 1 become free and independent. 2 28 November~ At the Cairo Conference, the USA, Britain and China 3 1 December 1943 resolve to place postwar Korea under trusteeship, 4 preparatory to independence “in due course.” 5 Roosevelt proposes to place Korea under international 36 trusteeship. Stalin agrees. 37 8 February 1945 Stalin and Roosevelt reaffirm the trusteeship concept 38 at the Yalta conference. 39 July 1945 Potsdam Declaration reaffirms the Cairo Declaration. 40 8 August 1945 The Soviet Union enters the Pacific War. 41 10 August 1945 The first Soviet troops land in northeast Korea. 42 15 August 1945 The Japanese surrender to the Allies, Chosun (Korean) 43 Governor-General Abe Nobuyuki hands over power to 44 the local committees of the Provisional Committee for 45 Korean Independence (PCKI) under the chairmanship 46R of Lyuh Woon-hyung.