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| Independence Gate now |
By Robert Neff
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| A string of oxen, laden with firewood and brush, can be seen passing through Independence Gate circa 1900. |
The region was once infested with man-eating tigers that preyed on lone merchants, and those who escaped the claws and fangs of the great beasts sometimes found themselves at the mercy of thieves and highwaymen.
Even the completion of the Independence Gate on Nov. 20, 1897, was marred by misfortune. The funeral of the Korean queen, who had been assassinated through the intrigue of members of the Japanese legation and disgruntled Koreans, was held the following day.
Rumors soon circulated that the area was haunted: goblins were said to prowl about in the darkness, cutting off the prized topknots of Korean men, and will-o-wisps sought to lure human prey to their deaths.
In December 1907, a local newspaper published this:
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| Oxen and carts pass near Independence Gate in the 1900s. |
"The Koreans are firm believers in goblins, but sometimes this belief receives a rude shock. The vicinity of the Independence Arch at Seoul is reputed to be a famous resort for these uncanny visitors and many are the pranks reported. One dark night not long ago a certain Korean was compelled to pass that neighborhood and by the time he had gone beyond the Arch his fears were in the ascendancy. Just at this point sure enough a goblin (tok-gabi) appeared on the scene.
"He was ten feet high, somewhat broader than a man and had only one eye in the centre of his forehead which burned fiercely but had a curious manner of blinking at the observer. As there was no escape from the being, he concluded to attack it, so grasping a stout stick he had in his hand he aimed at the eye and struck with all his might. The goblin fell to the earth but a remonstrant human voice cried out 'Save my life, save my life!'
"Mutual explanations followed for the goblin turned out to be only an inoffensive villager from beyond the Peking Pass who was coming in to town in the dark with a load of wood on his back and smoking a pipe!"
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| A Japanese policeman can be seen under the arch. |
But tigers and ghosts were perhaps not the most terrifying things in the area ― on Oct. 21, 1908, Gyeongseong Prison was opened. For nearly four decades, thousands of Koreans were imprisoned here for their efforts to gain Korea's independence from Japan. Many lost their lives within the prison walls.
The prison has long been closed down and now serves as a museum ― complementing the nearby Independence Gate ― as a symbol of Korea's struggle for independence. But even these symbols have something to fear: the future. Development is overshadowing them with tall apartment buildings that seem to diminish their importance to modern Korea.
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| Independence Gate in the 1920s |
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