Gojong of Korea, 26th Emperor of the Joseon Kingdom and first emperor of Korea (died 1919)

Gojong, personal name Yi Myeongbok, later Yi Hui, also known as the Gwangmu Emperor, was the penultimate Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 1907, first as the last king of Joseon, and then as the first emperor of the Korean Empire from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. His wife, Queen Min, played an active role in politics until her assassination carried out by the Japanese.