The Korea Times - Home

Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn
Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn

Sat, November 17, 2018 | 05:21

Opinion > Blogs > About the past >

Troubled waters: Chinese fishing fleets in Joseon Korea

In the 1880s, they congregated in large numbers off the coast of Gunsan. Their nets were incessant, their crews were often violent and they were outsiders - they were the Chinese fishing fleets.

About the past | 2018-11-11 10:07

Walking in the footsteps of the past: The Standing Buddhas of Yongmi-ri

In the early 1890s, three Western missionaries, while traveling from Seoul to Pyongyang, rounded a corner of a rocky hill and were suddenly confronted by “two immense stone figures representing a Korean man and a Korean woman” perched high above them - they were the Standing Buddhas of Yongmi-ri.

About the past | 2018-11-10 12:28

Joseon Korea's Russian-advised Army

At the end of the 19th century, Korea found itself in a wild vortex of modernization often inspired and frustrated by internal and external political pressure. The Korean military was no exception.

About the past | 2018-11-04 18:11

Haunted Gangwon-do (pt 2): The restless maidens of the East Sea

Korea was once described as the most haunted place upon the planet. George Heber Jones, a missionary in the late 19th century, wrote: “In Korean belief, earth, air, and sea are peopled by demons. They haunt every umbrageous tree, shady ravine, spring and mountain crest.

About the past | 2018-10-28 09:51

Haunted Gangwon-do and the children of the corn

Gangwon-do is arguably the most beautiful province in Korea. It is filled with steep, rugged mountains that tower over deep mist-filled valleys and pools with thick forests and a relatively small population. Some of my most pleasant memories of the province were my morning jogs.

About the past | 2018-10-27 09:28

Pyongyang's first rail system

On September 18, 1899, the Seoul-Chemulpo Railway began operating between the capital city and the port of Jemulpo. It was a tremendous event that excited the imagination of Koreans and foreigners alike and ushered in an era of greater prosperity. What kind of impact on the populace did it have? In his book “The Dawn of Modern Korea”, Prof. Andre Lankov included the “flowery ...

About the past | 2018-10-21 09:17

Cash and carry in Joseon

One of the biggest obstacles to doing business in Korea during the late 19th century was money - not a lack of it but rather due to the large and cumbersome amount. Korean coins - commonly referred to as “cash” - had small square holes in the center and were carried in strings of 1,000 coins that were, unsurprisingly, quite heavy.

About the past | 2018-10-20 10:52

Rolling tobacco in Joseon

Men were not the only ones to smoke in Joseon Korea. Women, of all classes, enjoyed their pipes as much as their male counterparts and some, including the queen, were quick to take up the newest smoking craze - cigarettes.

About the past | 2018-10-14 10:21

Smoking with class in Joseon

In late 19th century Korea, almost everyone smoked. According to George W. Gilmore, an American teaching in Seoul in the late 19th century: “The use of tobacco is universal, even boys and women are using the weed. A part of the dress of a Korean is his tobacco-pouch, his flint, steel and tinder or his matches. Without it he never goes abroad…”

About the past | 2018-10-13 09:55

The Pearl and the gingko

In 1885, Captain C. F. Anderson sailed to Korea in search of pearls - his small schooner was, appropriately enough, named The Pearl. His quest was a financial failure but he did return to San Francisco with one valuable item - a chair.

About the past | 2018-10-07 09:22

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Choking on worsening air pollution