A large statue of Empress Myeongseong, the last empress of Korea. This is the museum dedicated to her memory, which was built near her birthplace. Myeongseong was an amazing queen, who had some very influential ideas that brought Korea into the modern age. She was groomed to become queen from a young age, and when she did, her husband had an affair with a secret lover for 3 years. During that time, she read tomes and started forming her ideas. She believed that the people of Korea were the heart of the nation, and that to protect the Korean way of life, they needed to open their doors to the outside world. She also understood that Japan posed a threat to their safety, so she conspired to form an alliance with Russia. This would have made Korea too powerful, in Japan's opinion, so they dispatched a samurai to kill her. He beheaded the queen with a sword made exclusively for that purpose. The sword was named the fox killer, since the queen was considered a sly, wise fox. All in all, she was a beautiful, wise, and caring queen who wanted the protection and security of her people.