I've been reading the wikipedia on the First Sino-Japanese War but besides who and how, there is scant mention of why Queen Min was assassinated.
Was it a sanctioned operation through the Japanese empire or just some random incident in the lead up to the war.
Reading what I have already, the Korean King Gojong absolutely depended upon her for guidance and in effect she was the real power of the Korean government. Is that the real reason, to effectively nullify the Korean government so they could turn King Gojong into a sock puppet?
edit: Wikipedia on the assassination itself https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Myeongseong#Assassination
Ever since the Andong Kims, factional infighting and purges between Confucian scholars had come to an end, to be replaced by the era of the Queen's family. Traditionally, Confucians are against royal power and limit even the princes from joining in the ranks of ministers. Each Confucian faction or rival would place their own consort so that, in theory, no one would monopolize the power of being the royal in-laws. However, with invasions by Japan and Jurchens nomads, with disease and horrendous infighting, there was no legitimate heirs to divvy up and fight over anymore. This continued to the extent that even the Andong Kims eventually ran out of rope. But the precedent was there for Min to take control.
Queen Min's father in-law, Heungseon had looked at the precedent of the Opium Wars and had decided to close off Joseon from the West. His persecution of Christians during his regency led to invasions by French and American forces as well as various public revolts. Eventually, China had to step in and Heungseon was removed. Min had been resentful of Heungseon overshadowing his son, the king, and had led a campaign for modernization. She was particularly friendly with Russia, selling mineral rights for pennies and importing luxuries that the kingdom could not afford.
The Japanese were eyeing the Korean Peninsula with China out of the way after the First Sino-Japnese War. The queen's sway over the weak-minded King Gojong was going to lead to the completion of a Russian foothold in terms of rail projects so she was eliminated.
Gojong eventually ends up in the Russian embassy, but to the surprise of many, Japan wins the Russo-Japanese War thanks to Admiral Togo's feats and new naval tactics as well as the rift between the Russian generals Kuropatkin and Gripenberg. The Taft-Katsura agreement beteween Japan and US where Korea and Philippines would be left for the respective parties, sealed Korea's fate.
She is often used as a Korean martyr against the Japanese in popular culture but contemporaries and in fact, any fair reading of her history points to corruption and overspending.