Industrializing, not simply feudal, societies

Were China and Korea still pre-industrial societies in 1894?

They were better described as industrializing: modern weapons and arsenals existed, but industry and skills were not yet integrated across the state.

China operated large arsenals and Korea had begun adopting industrial methods, even though neither possessed a fully integrated industrial economy. They were industrializing rather than simply pre-industrial or fully industrialized. Buying machinery was only one step because workers, managers, supply chains, and institutions all had to learn new practices. Britain faced a similar difficulty when established shipyards moved from riveting to welding before and during the Second World War. Even a mature industrial state needed new yards, contracts, and competitive pressure to overcome resistance to retraining, so technological transition should not be mistaken for a uniquely East Asian cultural failure.