Gojong of the Korean Empire

Gojong was king of Joseon from 1864 and proclaimed himself emperor of Korea in 1897. His reign was shaped by court faction, reform, foreign intervention and growing Japanese control; he was forced to abdicate in 1907 after attempting to appeal internationally against the protectorate.

Pearl S. Buck’s The Living Reed is set in 1881 the Kim family serves close to the Korean royal court. Secure in rank but divided over how the kingdom should respond to foreign pressure.