Yi Seung-su

Yi Seung-su took charge of Korea's Washington legation in 1893. In November he asked Secretary of State Walter Q. Gresham to admit Korean students to the United States military and naval academies. Gresham responded favorably to the prospect of educating Koreans on the same terms as other foreign students. Gojong subsequently issued credentials promoting Yi from acting representative to minister resident. ^{1, 2}

As Japanese troops refused to leave Korea in 1894, Yi appealed for American intervention. On July 5 he forwarded instructions from the Korean palace and asked Gresham to have the president help settle the confrontation. The court feared that Japan's demand for political reorganization would lead to war. Yi requested both mediation and prompt information about developments in Korea. ³

The United States urged Japan to treat Korea fairly, but Gresham told Yi that Washington would not go beyond offering mediation or join other powers in collective intervention. Yi's American appointment ended during this crisis. After returning home, he died of cholera in Seoul in 1895. ^{1, 4}