박영효 朴泳孝
Enlightenment-faction bureaucrat who led the Gapsin Coup (later pro-Japanese)
| Life | 1861 ~ 1939 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 반남 박씨 |
Life & career
Park Yeong-hyo was an enlightenment-faction politician of late Joseon, and was the son-in-law (buma) of King Cheoljong. It is recorded that in 1882, while traveling to Japan as a Diplomatic Envoy (susinsa), he made a flag bearing the taegeuk and the four trigrams (sagwae), presenting what would become the prototype of today's Taegeukgi (Korean national flag). In 1884, together with Kim Ok-gyun and others, he raised the Gapsin Coup, but it failed and he fled into exile in Japan.
He later returned home and served as Minister of Home Affairs, taking part in the Gabo and Eulmi reforms. During the Japanese colonial period, however, he received the title of Marquis of the Joseon nobility and served as an adviser to the Privy Council (Jungchuwon) and a member of the Japanese House of Peers, collaborating with Japan, and was designated a pro-Japanese collaborator (chin-il banminjok haengwija).
Descendants
His granddaughter Park Chan-ju married Yi U (李鍝), a son of Prince Uihwa.