Meeting of the Bureau of National Defense

This painting Jo Seok-jin’s depiction of a meeting held by the Bureau of National Defense, which was the organization responsible for the decision on the Gabo Reform. The inscription on the top right of the image reads, “Meeting of the Bureau of National Defense on 26 July of the 31st year of Gojong’s reign, attended by the chairperson and 17 others,” which implies that the painting was commissioned to commemorate the establishment of the said organization, which existed from 27 July 1894 to 17 December of the same year. The lower part of the image is inscribed with the list of members at the time of the bureau’s founding.