Empress Myeongseong (Queen Min)

Long may she reign

Being queen is never easy, and no one knew that better than Queen Min. At only eight years old, she was left without a father, but funnily enough, her lack of ambitious male relatives made her the perfect candidate for queen to the irresponsible and impressionable King of Korea. Min bided her time under the thumb of her overbearing father-in-law until she was able to outsmart him and take over the court. Over her twenty-year reign, she managed to modernize Korea in everything from the military to education, all while dealing with the encroaching Japanese empire. Join me to learn about her story on today's episode.

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Bibliography

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