• Author: Hyoung-chong Kim
• Publication Date: August/ 2024
• Publisher: SNU Press

The book particularly organizes the characteristics of the diplomatic relationship between Joseon (Korea) and Qing in the late 19th century using the concept of “expedient diplomacy.” Qing, which regarded itself as the “Heavenly Empire” (天朝上國) and considered Joseon as a “vassal state,” was forced to accept the modern diplomatic system based on equal and independent sovereign states due to the challenges posed by Western powers after the mid-19th century. However, Qing, unable to abandon its attachment to the notion of being the “Heavenly Empire,” continued to seek “expedient” approaches that exploited the gaps between traditional tributary relations and modern diplomacy in its dealings with Joseon, which remained its last tributary state.

Examples of this include Joseon’s “vassal autonomy” theory, which claimed that while Joseon was a vassal, it had traditionally managed its own internal and foreign affairs, and the “vassal notification” requirement, which Qing imposed whenever Joseon signed treaties with Western countries. These practices reflected Qing’s attempt to transform Joseon, its vassal state, into a modern colony or protectorate. This behavior also demonstrated Qing’s ongoing obsession with maintaining the “dignity” of being the superior state in its diplomatic relations with Joseon. Professor Hyung-chong Kim’s analysis illustrates that Qing had significant limitations in fully accepting the modern diplomatic system and the ideas that supported it. This, he argues, was a fundamental reason for the failure of modernization efforts in both Joseon and Qing.

Author

Hyung-chong Kim is a professor at the Department of History at Seoul National University. He graduated from the Department of Asian History at the same university and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees specializing in modern Chinese history. His publications include co-authoring Atlas of Chinese History, A Study on the Reform Period at the End of the Qing Dynasty, and A Study of the Korea-Qing Joint Border Delimitation and Border Talks in the 1880s. His translations include A New History of China, Essays on Modern Chinese Thought, Jin Yinge: The Last 20 Years, Selected Translations of Materials Related to the Korea-Qing Border Talks in the 1880s, Chinese Historical Thought Through Prefaces, The Comprehensive Collection of Blessings Vols. 1-3, and National Translation of the Historical Materials on Sino-Japanese-Korean Relations of the Qing Dynasty Vols. 1-5.