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Description

War Memorial of Korea (Seoul).

Particularly after the middle of the 19th century, various foreign powers began approaching Joseon dynasty Korea, whose isolationism gave it the nickname "hermit kingdom," but Korea took longer than Japan to reopen. One state that did not succeed was France, which sent Admiral Pierre-Gustave Roze with a small force in 1866 to punish Korea for persecuting and executing both French Catholic priests and their Korean converts. The French force landed at Ganghwa Island, fought the Korean defenders, and eventually retreated to Japan after the Korean army became overwhelmingly large. Since Emperor Napoléon III was trying to reinforce the Mexican Empire (a French puppet state) against the Mexican republican resistance, Admiral Roze received no reinforcements, but the French troops looted some Korean artifacts on the way out such as 297 books of Uigwe (ritual guide) that were not returned home until 2011. At least the bronze bell was too heavy to load on the ship and was able to remain in its homeland. An interesting detail of this exhibit is a rack of French swords and bayonets.

Description

War Memorial of Korea (Seoul).

Particularly after the middle of the 19th century, various foreign powers began approaching Joseon dynasty Korea, whose isolationism gave it the nickname "hermit kingdom," but Korea took longer than Japan to reopen. One state that did not succeed was France, which sent Admiral Pierre-Gustave Roze with a small force in 1866 to punish Korea for persecuting and executing both French Catholic priests and their Korean converts. The French force landed at Ganghwa Island, fought the Korean defenders, and eventually retreated to Japan after the Korean army became overwhelmingly large. Since Emperor Napoléon III was trying to reinforce the Mexican Empire (a French puppet state) against the Mexican republican resistance, Admiral Roze received no reinforcements, but the French troops looted some Korean artifacts on the way out such as 297 books of Uigwe (ritual guide) that were not returned home until 2011. At least the bronze bell was too heavy to load on the ship and was able to remain in its homeland. An interesting detail of this exhibit is a rack of French swords and bayonets.