Eo Jae-yeon
| Eo Jae-yeon | |
| Hangul | 어재연 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 魚在淵 |
| Revised Romanization | Eo Jae-Yeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Eŏ Chae-Yŏn |
Eo Jae-yeon(魚在淵, 1823 ~ 1871) was a Korean general during the late Joseon Dynasty. He served as the inspector in the Hoeryung region in 1866 and he led the defense of Ganghwa Island during United States expedition to Korea in 1871.
When the American Asiatic Squadron arrived at coast of the island in 1871, the royal council appointed Eo to serve as the Commandant. He exerted himself in this duty, and he and his brother, Eo Jae-sun, were killed by a US Marine during the military action. He was posthumously appointed the Minister of War.
United States expedition to Korea
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On June 10, 1871, five American warships departed from Nagasaki, Japan to Ganghwa Island, bringing about 1,230 Marines and 85 cannons.
The fundamental aim of the expedition was not a full-scale war, but gunboat diplomacy. About 240 Joseon soldiers were killed, 100 were drowned, and 20 were captured, while three US troops were killed and six were injured.
However, the American forces did not achieve their original purpose of establishing a treaty for the protection of shipwrecked mariners, along with a possible trade treaty, and instead departed to the Chinese mainland.