Subject: 
            AH Challenge: Independent Korea throughout 20th century
       Date: 
            30 Aug 2001 15:53:16 -0700
       From: 
            raharris1973@my-deja.com (Rob)
Organization: 
            http://groups.google.com/
 Newsgroups: 
            soc.history.what-if


It can be a puppet state, but there's more ponts if its independence
has some reality to it.

The PoD must be later than Commodore Perry's visit.

More points the closer you bring the PoD to 1905.

Subject: 
            Re: AH Challenge: Independent Korea throughout 20th century
       Date: 
            31 Aug 2001 08:56:45 -0700
       From: 
            marathag@yahoo.com (mike)
Organization: 
            http://groups.google.com/
 Newsgroups: 
            soc.history.what-if
 References: 
            1


raharris1973@my-deja.com (Rob) wrote in message news:<990316a2.0108301453.15f42eec@posting.google.com>...

> It can be a puppet state, but there's more ponts if its independence
> has some reality to it.
> 
> The PoD must be later than Commodore Perry's visit.
> More points the closer you bring the PoD to 1905.

Best bet is for combined US/French effort on 'opening' Korea. OTL
efforts like Perry didn't work, and Koreas Prince Taewon was hardly
Pro-Western in outlook, and mid' 1860s had Christian Priests ordered
to leave and up to 12(sources vary) Missionaries who didn't- got the
axe along with several thousand Korean Catholics, and a punitive 
expedition by Admiral Roze with 3 ships and 600 men, attacked Prince
Taewons forces in Oct. 1866,  with the typical French lack of success,
almost a Burnsides level of failure.

The _General Sherman_, an ex-blockade runner with a crew
of filibusters/Yankee Traders, had been trapped by falling water
levels in July '66, on the Tae-dong river, totally unable to 
leave,despite the Princes orders. The US ships guns outranged 
the Koreans,and after a standoff, the ship was finally destroyed 
by firerafts,with all the crew executed.
US was unsure of its fate for some time-and later over 650 US 
Marines & Sailors captured some forts, with the assistance of the
Screw Frigate Colorado, two screw sloops, and two gunboats, one them
the Monocacy, one of the ACW 'double-enders'.
 After no resolution or treaties from the Prince, had left korea in
'71

Since these both(Gen Sherman&Catholic pogrom) happened about the same
time, maybe faster US intel on the fate of that ship would have added
to Sewards post ACW overtones to France, with the combined French and
US Squadrons, making life very dificult for Prince Taewon 

**
mike
**