An Unfulfilled Expectation: Britain’s Response to the Question of Korean Independence, 1903-1905

sion over Korea steeply escalated, and 1905, when Korean was made a Japanese protectorate after the Russo-Japanese War. In 1903, Northeast Asia fell into turmoil since Russia adopted a new expansionist policy towards Manchuria and Korea. Japan, who had regarded Korea as the "lifeline" to their national security, was alarmed by Russia"s advance towards the Korean peninsula. The steeply escalated tension between Russia and Japan eventually resulted in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904. After a series of successful military campaigns in Manchuria and the Korean seas, Japan obtained international recognition of their special interest in Korea by the Treaty of Portsmouth, which was signed on 5 September 1905, and it eventually led to the Japanese establishment of a protectorate over Korea.