The Status And Politics Of American Missionaries In Korea(1884-1905)

In1882, the United States established a Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commence andNavigation, which made it be the first country of western powers that signed a treatyof inequality with Korea. Thus, the Hermit Kingdom opened to the outside world byforce. Although the United States was the first western country to open the Koreandoor, the American government gradually lost its interest in Korea after the UnitedStates–Korea Treaty of1882, insisting on the policy of non-interference, and evenadmitting that Korea was an independent sovereign state. In contract, Americanmissionaries in Korea were active. So, the religious activities of Americanmissionaries had an important impact on the Korean society and politics. The subjectof this paper is the status of American missionaries in Korea and Korea politics,intending to analyze and value the status and religious activities of Americanmissionaries in Korea systematically.This paper is divided into three parts:In the first part of all, it formulates the American interests in Korea and itsKorean policy from the year of1884to1905, which included the attitudes ofAmerican government to its missionaries.After the United States–Korea Treaty of1882, the United States began to invadeKorea. But, it soon discovered that there was no commercial profit in Korea, and notime to pay attention on Korea, so the American government not only lowered thelevel of its minister to Korea, but also insisted on the policy of non-interference,admitting the independence of Korea, which won the trust of the Korea ruling class.In contract, the U.S. minister to Korea who became the important driving force ofAmerican Korea policy, was active to win over the commercial interests for Americancitizens. During this period, American government’s attitude to its missionaries wasmoderate, but it clearly intimated that interfering Korean politics was forbidden.In the second part, it gives an outline of the status of American missionaries fromthe year of1884to1905. Meanwhile, it also introduces the Korean government’sattitude to American missionaries and Christian activities.When the United States and Korea negotiated the treaty, the Korean governmentshowed the attitude of anti-Christianity clearly. Thus, American missionaries enteredthe Korea in the name of opening hospitals and schools, and spread Christianitysecretly. As the American government was not with distinctive invasion character, andAmerican missionaries’ humanitarian activities favored Korea, the Koreangovernment gave silent consent to the Christian activities of American missionaries.After the France-Korea Treaty of1886, Korea loosened the limit of Christianity, sonumerous American missionaries came to Korea and entered the interior of Korea.But, the Korean government did not allow the foreigner to spread Christianity, itcaused many problems, and missionaries’ residence in the interior of Korea wasfundamentally incompatible with their extraterritorial rights. In the third part, it discusses the relations of American missionaries with somepolitical factions of Korea, and introduced some incidents which Americanmissionaries involved Korean affairs.The United States was the first western country which opened the door of Korea,so the U.S. minister to Korea was also the first western representative. They had animportant impact on Korean society and politics from every aspect, and establishedthe diplomatic or personal relations with Korean politicians. Meanwhile, the Koreanpoliticians tried to establish relations with American missionaries for differentpurposes. As a result, this relationship made American missionaries involve in manypolitical affairs, as well as caused a misunderstanding.In a word, despite the American government not only adopted a positive Koreapolicy, but also did not give a strong support to missionaries’ religious activities,American missionaries devoted to spread Christianity without the purpose ofinvolvement in Korean affairs. There is no doubt that American missionaries’activities had an important impact on Korean society and politics, and promoted themodernization of Korea and the spread of Christianity.