Min Yeong-so

Min Yeong-so (閔泳韶, 1852 – 1917) was a civil official and politician of the late Joseon period and the Japanese colonial period in Korea. While serving as Minister of War in 1894, he instigated Hong Jong-u to assassinate the exiled Enlightenment Party leader Kim Ok-gyun. He was originally the son of Min Cheol-ho, but was adopted into the family of Min Gyu-ho, who had served as Minister of Personnel.

Life

After passing the civil service examination in 1878, he rapidly advanced through the ranks as a member of the Min clan of the ruling party (Conservative Party). In particular, he held the posts of Minister of Revenue, Minister of War, and Director of the Office of Special Advisers, and in 1884 he was credited for successfully overcoming the Gapsin Coup.

As a representative figure of the Min faction, he survived the Imo Incident, but his house was destroyed. In 1894, while serving as Minister of War, he instigated Hong Jong-u to assassinate Kim Ok-gyun, who had fled to and was living in exile in Shanghai.

From June 23, 1894 (May 20 of the lunar calendar) to June 28, he served as Mayor of Hanseong.¹² In July 1894, during the Gabo Reforms, he left office, and when the Korean Empire was established in 1897, he became a Special Advisor in the Imperial Household Ministry. He subsequently served as a scholar of the in 1899, Minister of Education in 1901, Minister of the Imperial Household, and in 1904 Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry.