Eo Jae-yeon
| Eo Jae-yeon | |
| Hangul | 어재연 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 魚在淵 |
| Revised Romanization | Eo Jae-Yeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Eŏ Chae-Yŏn |
Eo Jae-yeon(魚在淵, 1823 ~ 1871) was a Korean general during the late Joseon Dynasty. He served as the inspector in the Hoeryung region in 1866 and he led the defense of Ganghwa Island during United States expedition to Korea in 1871.
He was born in 1823, His father is Eo Yong-in. He passed the military service examination in 1841, arranged at Ganghwa Island. In 1866, French troops invaded Ganghwa Island, French campaign against Korea (1866), Eo Jae-yeon defenced at Gwangsung camp with his army. Then he was appointed to minister of Hoeryong, he suppressed a band of marauders. Also he constructed market in Hoeryong, vitalized a border trade to Qing dynasty.
When the American Asiatic Rogers' Squadron arrived at coast of the island in 1871, the royal council appointed Eo to serve as the Commandant. He exerted himself in this duty, and he and his brother, Eo Jae-sun, were killed by a US Marine during the military action. He was posthumously appointed the Minister of War. During the war, Eo Jae-yeon's flag, 'Sujagi' was taken by American Squadron.
United States expedition to Korea
.jpg)
On June 10, 1871, five American warships departed from Nagasaki, Japan to Ganghwa Island, bringing about 1,230 Marines and 85 cannons.
The fundamental aim of the expedition was not a full-scale war, but gunboat diplomacy. About 240 Joseon soldiers were killed, 100 were drowned, and 20 were captured, while three US troops were killed and six were injured.
However, the American forces did not achieve their original purpose of establishing a treaty for the protection of shipwrecked mariners, along with a possible trade treaty, and instead departed to the Chinese mainland.