Japan knew that King Gojong refused to Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905.

 When the ▲ Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 signing was unilaterally declared, Emperor Gojong (left) dispatched secretaries to countries around the world to deny it.The photo is a secret letter that Emperor Gojong tried to deliver to England through a British Tribune reporter.In January 1907, this secret book published in the Korea Daily News began, "The emperor did not know from the beginning the five treaties signed by the Japanese ambassador and Park Je-soon instead of the outside." The Independence Hall of Korea, which provides photos, said, "I also knew King Gojong's rejection of Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905." This year marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905. For us, Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 is a "covenant" (a forced treaty) that has been robbed of diplomatic rights, but there are still voices denying it in Japan. Japan itself was the one who knew better than anyone else about the illegality of Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, although it was the logic that it should be considered in detail under international law. In terms of international law, in order to determine the validity or invalidity of the concluded treaty, it is necessary to determine whether one party has made an 'expression of intention by compulsion'. However, there is also a difference in the concept of compulsion. In the case of Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, there are subtle disagreements over whether compulsion is pressure on Emperor Gojong's individual, pressure on the state of the Korean Empire, physical threats, or even mental stress. From the 29th to the 2nd of last month, the "100-year Hawaii Conference" was held at the Kauai Resort Convention Hall in Hawaii, with Chinese, American, and Japanese scholars as well as North and South Korea participating to intensively deal with the issue. The theme of this conference is "Was the Korea-Japan 1905 Convention Compulsory?" Lee Tae-jin, a professor of history at Seoul National University, strongly criticized Professor Tamaki Harami's recent claim that Emperor Gojong was not reluctant to sign the treaty. Professor Harami cited various records, including Il Sung-rok, the official diary of Emperor Gojong, as the basis for the fact that Eulsa's 5th enemy's appeal, "We negotiated according to the emperor's instructions," and that the emperor's critical comments were not noticeable. The logic is that even if it was not active consent, at least it did not object. However, Professor Lee refuted that Emperor Gojong's vivid voice could not be published from the beginning, citing that most of the authority to write records related to the emperor, such as Il Sung-rok, was handed over to the Japanese at the time of the treaty. Kang Sung-eun, a professor at Chosun University in Japan, who attended as a representative of North Korea, tracked Ito Hirobumi's "Revelation Letter," who led the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905. In the reinstatement, Ito recorded it as if King Gojong had agreed to the treaty, but the draft written by Ito's chief of staff Keiroku Suzuki at the time was different. In the draft, it was found that the phrase "The Korean emperor does not agree" was clear and there were even traces of revision by supplementing it. This is evidence that Emperor Gojong knew exactly that the fact that Emperor Gojong refused the treaty from the beginning and Emperor Gojong refused it could be a problem even later. One of the Japanese participants, Professor Noriko Kokubun of Aichi Prefecture, approached the treaty from the perspective of domestic legislation and legal ideology of the Korean Empire. It is a question of whether Emperor Gojong's authority was absolute. In other words, it is pointed out that Emperor Gojong did not have the authority to sign the treaty by compulsion, not free will, because he no longer adopted a political system different from the pre-modern absolute monarchy after modern reform measures such as Gabo Reform.(D.C. History) What the so-called key figures would argue...LOL) Professor Kim Ki-seok of Seoul National University indirectly proved his compulsion by hearing that Emperor Gojong actively campaigned to invalidate the treaty. After signing a treaty, Emperor Gojong risked his life to send secret services to the powers of the time, including the United States and Russia. One of them is the dispatch of Hague Milsa, which has become famous for his secret suicide. Dr. Hulbert, who was dispatched to the U.S. as a secret agent, also mentioned in 1942 at the "Korea Freedom Conference" that "Keep the emperor's immortal loyalty forever" supports Emperor Gojong's persistent efforts.(D.C. History) So-called key figures, wake up...)) The issue of invalidation of Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 is also closely related to the problem of simplicity, which is the goal of the Northeast process. If the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 is invalid, of course, the simple agreement that Japan signed with China on behalf of the Korean Empire will be invalid. Therefore, if it becomes clear that the Republic of Korea has succeeded the Korean Empire and the Shanghai Provisional Government, the issue of Gando's sovereignty will reach a clear conclusion under international law. Of course, the issue of representativeness of the temporary Shanghai government, the international legal interpretation of whether the invalidation of the treaty means a return to its original state, and the issue of international political reality are matters to be discussed separately.