212 Korea, late Yi dynasty Yi Un, heir to the Korean throne in the early 20th century, was the last Yi emperor on the Asian peninsula negotiations with the Americans, who, after destroying forts at Kianghwa, withdrew Soon after this the prospect of war between Korea and Japan was raised The Japanese had sent an expeditionary force to Formosa (Taiwan) in 1872 Three years later, Japan demanded a trade treaty with Korea and also sent another delegation to China with a similar request On February 26, 1876, to avoid a conflict, the Koreans signed a treaty of amity and trade with Japan, granting Japan some extraterritorial rights in Korea However, a phrase in the treaty affirmed that “Korea being an independent state enjoys the same sovereign rights as Japan.” Japan sent a copy of the document to the new Chinese foreign ministry, which did not raise any objection to the phraseology Although the Koreans were initially happy with the wording of the phrase, it would come back to haunt them As Korea was essentially declared totally independent of China, it would allow Japan to interfere in Korean affairs without China being able to raise any objections By this time many Japanese politicians and the military were eager to take over Korea When the British managed to get a concession at Port Hamilton, small islands off the southern coast of Korea, the Japanese prepared their plans for war with China This broke out in 1894–95 when a rebellion led by the Tonghaks broke out in Korea To safeguard their property and civilians in Korea, both the Chinese and the Japanese sent in troops The Korean government quickly put down the rebellion, but neither the Chinese nor the Japanese would withdraw their soldiers On July 20, 1894, the Japanese, in control of Seoul, seized control of the government They used their navy to prevent Chinese troopships from bringing in reinforcements Both sides declared war on August 1, 1894, with the Chinese quickly building up their defenses in northern towns and cities The Japanese acted quickly, sending their soldiers north, and on November 15, at the Battle of Pyongyang, 20,000 Japanese soldiers drove 14,000 Chinese soldiers out of the city The Chinese then withdrew back across the Yalu River, the northern boundary of Korea At the same time the Japanese drove the Chinese fleet out of Korean waters, and in October, Japanese soldiers crossed the Yalu River with the result that much of the rest of the fighting took place in China, especially in Manchuria and around Weihaiwei Hostilities continued until the Treaty of Shimonoseki on April 17, 1895, when China was forced to concede territory and also to fully recognized Korean independence, leaving Korea open to Japanese invasion In October 1895, Queen Min, who was believed to have led the anti-Japanese faction at the Korean court, was assassinated, and the Japanese were immediately blamed King Kojong, fearing that he also might be in danger, fled to the Russian legation in Seoul He made an alliance with the Russians, offering them mining and timber concessions By this time there was agitation