Cho Min-hui

Cho Min-hui entered government through the civil examinations and held provincial and judicial offices before becoming minister in Washington. Born in Seoul in 1859, he passed the examination in 1885 and later governed both South and North Pyongan. In 1900, he became deputy minister of justice. An initial assignment to France in 1901 was changed to the United States; he remained Washington minister until 1904, when he was transferred to Japan. ¹

Cho maintained the legation's connections with Korean students in America. In 1903, he and secretary Ye Ku Seung attended Roanoke College's anniversary and commencement ceremonies. Among that year's graduates was Kim Kyusik, who later became an independence leader. ²

After returning to Korea, Cho governed South Gyeongsang and headed the Pyeongniwon court when it handled the 1907 Hague emissaries affair. He joined organizations supporting Japanese influence, received a Japanese viscountcy after annexation, and served on the colonial governor-general's advisory council. A bankruptcy judgment led to suspension of his aristocratic privileges in 1928. He died in 1931. ¹