"There are countless reasons, but the biggest is that Korea's leadership lacks independence. The King is pro-Russian, the ministers are split between pro-Japanese and pro-Qing factions, and soon, overt pro-Japanese collaborators will emerge. Those who refuse to acknowledge the powers of the world are simply blind men," Lim stated.
He was right. Korea lacked leaders who could see the world clearly. Those with integrity had died nobly, while the rest were mired in corruption. This decline had persisted for over a century.
Lim, like the Governor, was an immigrant who had come to see Korea from an objective perspective. Only by leaving had he been able to perceive the structural flaws of the nation—flaws that patriotism alone could never overcome. He no longer identified as part of the Korean Empire.
