Kwangmu Reform
The Kwangmu Reform was a collection of reforms that were aimed at modernizing and Westernizing the Korean Empire as it felt held back from what other countries had achieved in their own process of Industrial Revolutions. It takes its name from Gojong, also known as the Gwangmu Emperor. The reforms that took place during the Gwangmu Era from 1897 to 1907 showed, in the long term, Korean potential for starting and achieving modernisation. This sort of development was unseen until the Chang Myon-era of the 1960s and 1970s. The Kwangmu reform later staged the fundamental background for future Korean development in infrastructure, reforming the economy and creating the nucleus of the modern bureaucracy and military.
Reforms
Abolition of the status system
Following the collapse of the Gabo government proclaiming the abolition of the status system, the loyalists’ cabinet was formed in 1896. The new cabinet, which became the Kwangmu government after the establishment of the Korean Empire, introduced systematic measures for abolishing the traditional class system. One of these was the new household registration system, reflecting the goals of formal social equality, which was implemented by the loyalists’ cabinet. Whereas the old registration system signified household members according to their hierarchical social status, the new system called for an occupation.Although most Koreans by that time had surnames and even bongwan, a substantial number of cheonmin, which mostly consisted of serfs and slaves, and untouchables, still did not. According to the new system, they were then required to fill in the blanks for surname in order to be registered as constituting separate households. Instead of creating their own family name, some cheonmins appropriated their masters’ surnames, while others simply took the most common surname and its bongwan in the local area. Along with this example, activists within and outside the Korean government had based their visions of a new relationship between the government and people through the concept of citizenship, employing the term Inmin, and later, Kukmin.
Lifestyle
During the Kwangmu period, Western-style official uniforms were introduced in Korea. At the start, the Korean Emperor had begun to wear Prussian-style royal attire along with Korean diplomats, who wore Western suits. In 1900, Western attire became the official uniform for Korean civil officials. Several years later, all Korean soldiers and policemen were required to wear Western style uniforms.Military
[Image:Koreansoldiers1898.jpg|thumb|210x210px|The modernised army of the Korean Empire in 1898]In the military sphere, the Military of the Korean Empire as it existed in the early 1890s consisted of about 5,000 soldiers and was increased to an immense amount of 28,000 right before the Russo-Japanese War. Training by Russian officers beginning in 1896 led to the organization of a 1,000-strong royal bodyguard armed with Berdan rifles that served as the core of an improved army. From this core unit, soldiers were sometimes transferred to other units, which included five regiments of about 900 men each. Moreover, the reform equipped personnels with western military uniforms.
Finance
In 1897, the cadastral survey project was launched by the Kwangmu government, aimed at modernizing the landownership system. In order to apply Western surveying methods, U.S. surveyors were hired. After the survey, a property title “Jigye”, showing the exact dimension of the land, were to be issued by the authorities. That reform was closely tied to reforms on the land tax system, which was conducted under the leadership of Yi Yong-ik, who also carried out monetary reforms in Korea. The project was interrupted due to the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and 1905, after surveys were finished on about two-thirds of the entire land.Infrastructure
During this period, modern urban infrastructure was built by the Kwangmu government. In 1898, the Gwangmu Emperor authorized the creation of joint ventures with American businessmen. In consequence, Hanseong Electric Company, operating a public electrical lighting network and an electric streetcar system was founded. Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company had an American connection as well. In 1902, six years after the first introduction of the telephone in Korea, the first long-distance public phone was installed.Industries
Image:Chongno1905.jpg|thumb|right|210x210px|Seoul, capital city of the Korean Empire in 1905, showing contrast between tradition and modernityDuring the Kwangmu period, the industrial promotion policy was also conducted by the Korean government. It gave support to found technical and industrial schools. In that time, along with modernized weaving factories which were established to meet demand for textiles on the domestic market, technological innovations in the field of weaving industry occurred in Korea. For instance, spinning and weaving machines were made for producing silk, so as to be substituted for high-cost machines from abroad.