Empress Myeongseong (Queen Min), born Min Ja-yeong in 1851, was the child bride of the young King Gojong of Korea. This was during the Joseon isolationist era, overseen by her father-in-law, the conservative regent Heungseon Daewongun. As foreign powers pressured the "Hermit Kingdom," a 1870s coup to sideline the regent lead to an era of modernization. Japan’s 1895 victory in the First…