Taewongun

• Born: 1821
• Died: 1898

The Taewongun was the title held by the Korean royal regent and father of the king in the late 19th century. He is known for his great political power, and for his efforts in 1864-1873 to effect reforms which would allow Korea to weather the rapid changes sweeping through the region at that time. Sadly, these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, or insufficient.

References

• Conrad Schirokauer, David Lurie, and Suzanne Gay, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization, Wadsworth Cengage (2013), 193.