Members of the Korean Progressive group (Independent Party) such as Ok-gyun KIM, Yong-hyo PAK and Jae-pil SEO, who thought that modernization might not be attained if Korea stayed as it was, contacted Yukichi FUKUZAWA, Shigenobu OKUMA and some of the key people in the political and business world in Japan that succeeded in modernization earlier and deepened their friendship.
このままでは朝鮮の近代化はおぼつかないと感じた金玉均・朴泳孝・徐載弼らの開化派（独立党）人士らは福澤諭吉や大隈重信をはじめ一足先に近代化を果たした日本の政財界の代表者達に接触し、交流を深めてゆく。