Who they were
Queen consort of King Gojong of Joseon, known during her lifetime as Queen Min. She was a formidable political operator in the court struggles of late Joseon and the great rival of her father-in-law, the regent Daewongun.
What they did
As Japanese influence over Korea grew after 1894–95, she moved to counterbalance it, leaning toward Russia. On October 8, 1895, she was assassinated inside Gyeongbokgung palace by Japanese agents and their collaborators — the Eulmi incident. The operation was organized with the involvement of the Japanese minister Miura Goro; those tried in Japan were acquitted. She was posthumously honored as Empress Myeongseong when the Korean Empire was proclaimed in 1897.
Legacy
In Korea she is remembered as a symbol of national sovereignty violated. Her assassination remains a grave marker in Korean-Japanese memory.