 With his ascendancy to power the Daewongun initiated a set of reforms designed to strengthen the monarchy at the expense of the "yangban class", he also pursued an isolationist policy and was determined to purge the kingdom of any foreign ideas that had infiltrated into the nation.In Korean history, the king's in-laws enjoyed great power and the Daewongun acknowledged that any future sons-in-law might threaten his authority.Therefore, he attempted to prevent any possible threat to his rule by selecting as a new queen for his son, an orphaned girl from among the Yŏhŭng Min clan, a clan which lacked powerful political connections.