Auspicious Incident

The 1884 coup in Korea, led by reformers who briefly seized power with Japanese support before Chinese forces suppressed it.

Gapsin Coup: The December 1884 coup in Korea in which reformers seized the royal palace and briefly formed a new government. This is the Korean name commonly used for the event called the Auspicious Incident.
Gaehwa Party: A Korean political faction that advocated institutional reform and selective adoption of foreign ideas in the late nineteenth century. Its members organized the coup to transform Joseon government.
Convention of Tianjin: The 1885 agreement in which China and Japan agreed to withdraw troops from Korea and notify each other before sending forces there. The coup’s suppression led China and Japan to negotiate their military presence in Korea.
Sadaejuui: A Korean political orientation favoring close relations with and deference to China, especially during the Joseon era. It contrasts with reformers’ effort to loosen Chinese political influence.
Kim Ok-gyun: A Korean reformer who led the 1884 coup and sought to modernize the Joseon state. His leadership and escape to Japan shaped the coup’s immediate aftermath.
Meiji Restoration: The political transformation that restored imperial rule and accelerated Japan’s modernization beginning in 1868. Japanese modernization inspired Korean reformers and informed their proposed changes.
First Sino-Japanese War: The 1894–1895 war between China and Japan, fought largely over influence in Korea. The coup intensified the rivalry that later erupted into war.
Gabo Reform: A series of Korean state reforms begun in 1894 amid the Tonghak uprising and Japanese intervention. These later reforms pursued changes similar to some coup proposals under very different conditions.
Japanese legation in Korea: Japan’s diplomatic mission in Korea, which also served as a base for Japanese influence. Japanese support for the coup involved the legation and its guards.
Imo Incident: The 1882 Seoul mutiny that prompted Qing intervention and increased Chinese influence in Korea. Its aftermath deepened the foreign rivalry against which the coup was planned.

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