1883 Korean special mission to the United States

1883 Korean mission to the United States

Members of the mission before departure.[1] (1883)
Native name	보빙사
Date	July 16 – October 13, 1883 (1883-07-16 – 1883-10-13)
Type	Special diplomatic mission
Motive	Assert Joseon's independence from Qing Request American advisors for Korea
Outcome	Successful visit, but most plans either not carried out due to internal instability or American reneging

In 1883, Joseon sent the first ever special diplomatic mission from Korea to the United States. In Korean, the mission is known as Bobingsa (Korean: 보빙사; Hanja: 報聘使).^[2]

In 1876, Korea emerged from centuries of isolationism after it was forced open by Japan. In 1880, the Korean monarch Gojong became interested in establishing relations with the United States, in order to counterbalance the encroaching Russian Empire, which was occupying more and more territory north of the Korean border. Gojong also wanted to symbolically treat directly with the United States, in order to signal to the world that Korea was independent from Qing China, of which it had been a tributary. In addition, he also wanted to receive American advisors to modernize the country.

The mission departed from Incheon on July 16, 1883 and arrived in San Francisco, United States on September 2. Its members traveled along the first transcontinental railroad to the East Coast, making various stops along the way. Everywhere they visited, they were enthusiastically hosted by American dignitaries. They met with U.S. president Chester A. Arthur twice, and received promises that America would make an effort to send advisors. After the mission's official conclusion on October 13, member Yu Kil-chun became the first known Korean to study abroad in the United States. Min Yong-ik [ko], Soh Kwang-pom, and Pyŏn Su [ko] traveled back to Korea by way of Europe, North Africa, around the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian Ocean, and became the first known Koreans to circumnavigate the Earth.^[3]

The mission resulted in the creation of Korea's first modern postal system, but is otherwise generally agreed to have had little immediate impact on Korea's reform. Shortly after the return of the mission, the Gapsin Coup resulted in the deaths, injuries, or exiles of many of the mission's former members. In addition, the U.S. delayed on sending advisors for years afterwards, and reneged on several of its tentative promises.