Seo Gwang-beom

Seo Gwang-beom (1859–1897) belonged to the young reform group around Kim Ok-gyun and Park Yeong-hyo. After passing the civil service examination in 1880, he traveled to Japan and accompanied Min Yeong-ik's 1883 embassy to the United States. He then helped organize the Gapsin coup of 1884 and briefly held military, police, and foreign affairs responsibilities. Qing intervention destroyed the new government within days, forcing him into exile. ¹

Seo moved from Japan to the United States in 1885. He lived on the East Coast, became an American citizen in 1892, and worked as a translator for the federal Bureau of Education. His writings introduced Korean education and traditional stories to American readers. He also worked for Washington's Theosophical Society. In American life he used the name Kenneth Suh. ^{1, 2}

Returning to Korea in 1894, Seo relinquished American citizenship to enter government. As justice minister in the Gabo reform administration, he helped separate courts from administrative offices and establish judicial training. As a senior judge, he punished officials implicated in the grievances behind the Donghak uprising, but also sentenced its leaders, including Jeon Bong-jun, to death. After Queen Min's assassination in 1895, he signed the decree stripping her of royal rank, a decision that damaged his political position. ²

Appointed minister to the United States in December 1895, Seo returned to a country where he already had years of experience. He assisted Korean students in the United States and Britain. Gojong's move to the Russian legation in 1896 brought down Seo's political allies and led to his dismissal. He remained in America because returning home was unsafe and died there of lung disease in 1897. ^{1, 2, 3}