The 1883 Joseon Delegates and President Chester A. Arthur (1/2)
The 1883 Joseon Delegates and President Chester A. Arthur (1/2)As I watched Death by Lightning—Netflix’s dramatization of the intertwined lives of James A. Garfield, Charles J. Guiteau, and Chester Arthur—I was reminded of a lesser-known but historically significant encounter between the United States and Korea. While the nation was navigating the complexities of post–Civil War reconstruction and political reform, another remarkable moment was unfolding across the Pacific: the first official diplomatic meeting between the United States and the Kingdom of Joseon (Korea).In September 1883, eleven representatives of Joseon—including Min Young-ik (nephew of Empress Min), Hong Young-sik, Seo Gwang-beom, Yu Gil-joon, Byeon Su, Ko Yeong-cheol, and American advisor Percival Lowell—arrived in San Francisco. This mission followed the 1882 Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, the first formal agreement between the two nations. For Korea, still deeply Confucian and traditionally isolationist, this was a pivotal step toward engaging the wider international community.The U.S. government, recognizing the symbolic significance of Korea’s opening, extended a high level of diplomatic courtesy. On September 18, 1883, the Joseon delegation met President Arthur at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York—a rare honor, as most foreign envoys met the President in Washington. The Korean emissaries observed traditional court etiquette, bowing in a manner reserved for their own monarch, signaling deep respect and formality.After Min delivered King Gojong’s sealed royal letter, President Arthur responded with remarks emphasizing geographic proximity, shared commercial interest, and America’s desire for stable relations in East Asia. He conveyed admiration for Korea’s natural beauty, noted the strategic value of trans-Pacific exchanges, and expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation would benefit both nations.The following morning, New York newspapers highlighted the unprecedented encounter, describing it as a moment when a kingdom long perceived as closed to the world sought new pathways for diplomacy, stability, and modernization. For the United States, it represented an expanded role in Pacific affairs; for Korea, it signaled the beginning of its complex transition into the modern international order.Today, this forgotten meeting stands as an often-overlooked but important chapter in early U.S.–Korea relations—a reminder that history’s major shifts are frequently shaped not only by wars and revolutions, but also by gestures of diplomacy, cultural exchange, and the willingness of two distant nations to imagine a shared future. Before the US gov't invested interest in Joseon, Washington's geopolitics favored leaning toward Japan. Many of the Korean delegates became revolutionaries seeking to reform the dying Joseon, but they failed, and some, including Min and a few, shied away from reform by moving to HK and the US, taking away King's slush funds.