ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Gwangmu Reform

So imagine you have a big brother who is very bossy and makes all the rules in your family. Sometimes he is not very nice to you and your other siblings, and you wish you could have more say in how things are done.

A long time ago, in Korea, there was a king who was like that big brother. He made all the rules and had all the power, and the regular people didn't have much say in what happened. This was called the Joseon dynasty.

But then, a long time later, a new king came along who wanted to make things better for the regular people. He wanted to give them more freedom and help them have a better life. This king was King Gojong, and he started something called the Gwangmu Reform.

The Gwangmu Reform was a big change in the way things were done in Korea. It meant that regular people would have more rights and would be treated more fairly. It also meant that the old system, the Joseon dynasty, would be replaced with a new system called the Korean Empire.

Some of the things that changed during the Gwangmu Reform included:

- The government became more democratic, which means that more people could have a say in how things were run.
- Education became more widespread and accessible to more people. This meant that more people could learn to read and write and have better jobs.
- Women were given more rights and could do more things outside of the home.
- The country became more modern and started using new technologies and ideas from other countries.

Overall, the Gwangmu Reform was a big step forward for Korea and helped set the stage for the country's growth and development. It was kind of like getting a new big brother who was much nicer and wanted to make things better for everyone.