Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 204, 6 September 1894 — The Tai Won-Kun. [ARTICLE]

The Tai Won-Kun.

r Tbe new Regent of Korea is f , one of the few Easteru statesmen outside Jnpan who »re as weilknown aiuong the Japanese as 1 anv of their owu statesmen. For j the past few years not a sing1e Japanese of any pretension to j puklie consideration has goue to 1 Korea who has not paid a visit 1 to the Tai Won-Knn. No cor- j respondence from Soul* has keen thought complete without some reference ‘to the fatber of the Koreau king. Dat just at present he is a particularly promiuent figure in the columns of ; the vern;icular press. and port 1 i r«ite and kiograpbical sketches i of him occupy prominent places i in thepaper. From thesosketches , we shail reproduce a few salieut | facts iu the life history of the I distinguished Korean. He was korn iu Janu iry, 1821, in one of ‘ the most powerful krauches of the Doyal family. At the domi.se of the last King, the Queendowngor, wlio apponn io have keen a woman of character and ukility, took the responsikility upou hersolf of calling to the | throue the second son of the ; Tai Won-Kun, or as he is called, j i the Lei-sei-wo (Japancse pro- I nunciation.) The title Tni WonKun, it must ko rememkered, was assumed ky him only after the coronation of his son as King, it keing an honorary designntion «)f the father of the King of 1 Koroa. His son keiug tben very young, the Tai Wou-kun direct ed the atfairs of Stnte as liegout oftherealm. His Kogency exteud ed over a period of ukont twelve y ears (1851Ī-76 ) Uis adtuiuistra-! \'n was staiued ky a cruel perse- j cutiou of the Christians, thou- ! 1 sands of whom sutfered horrikle ! deaths, and by the k!ood of nearly 1 ten thonsaud uufortnnate people | who were kntcberod simply for : tho pnrpose of counteractiug a prophecy that the Tai Won-kun was doomed to ke vanqnished ky ten thousnnd enemies. But iu spite of these great klemishes, the Tai Won-kuu’a Qovernmeut was on the whole keneficiai tothe conntry. Perh«ps the most eonspiouous feature of his administration was the steadiness and energ\ with whieh the independent rigbts of tbe kingdom were asserted. His administration was | «lso dibt:uguished on the whole kv the aksence of corroption and otber vices, whieh have keen tbe j ourses of the Miug 6ov«rnment. £specially in tbe appointment of ■>fficials, tbe T«i Won-kun showed a iemarkakie disinterestednes < '> for he paid uo attention to the * kirth aud Lmiiy connections of caudidate$ for officiaI posts In f 1876 be resigned the Begency and * lived a priv«te life for six years, when iu 1881 be again keeame the head of tbe goverumont. But tbe Miog iaeiion beiog now over- p wholmingly powerfol, bis tenure L o! office wm not long. He was b decoyed onder falee pretences to d Ch .na, wheie he wae kepi a eloee f prisoner for a few yeer& Since bis retcrn to Soal he bas led a striclly secicded life, and seemed to have abandoned ail idea o/ taking part ia poliiieal adaita. Ii «ras during bis period of io- F aotinty tbat4ie ahowed a partienlar delight ia eoaTwr*ing wiih

numerons Japanese visilors. Th;s ' circumsUnce made him tbe object of int«ose eoapieion and ' Latred of tbe Ming politicians who did not allow him even to : *ee tbe king. But now the Ubles Lave been turned and be is onee more at tbe bead of tbe State. , the last hope of all tbe fiiends of ’ Korean independance and progress — J<ipan Maīl.