The Korea Times - Home

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

Wed, September 19, 2018 | 10:16

Opinion > Blogs > About the past >

Korean and Japanese postcards of the past - Children

In her article “Staging 'Koreana' for the Tourist Gaze: Imperials Nostalgia and the Circulation of Picture Postcards”, Hyung Il Pai wrote: “It was common practice for travel photographers to post street children next to monuments. As native markers, sympathetic portraits of street children are current motifs of the 'conquered other' in views of the capital of Keijo [Seoul].”

About the past | 2018-09-16 09:23

Korean and Japanese postcards of the past - homes

When we compare the postcards of Korea and Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, we are often drawn to the differences of not only the subjects but also their colorization. Postcards of Japan were often of the ports, palaces, teahouses, geishas and temples. Many of these images were taken by early Western residents and great care was taken to colorize them. The...

About the past | 2018-09-15 09:25

September 11, coffee and Russia in 19th century Korea (part 2)

While waiting for Kim Hong-nuik's return to Seoul, efforts were made to extract confessions from Kim's wife, Kong Hong-sik, and Kim Jong-wha. There were many, especially among the diplomats, who thought the accused might be innocent.The Russian representative, Nikolai G. Matunine, wrote a passionate letter of protest to the Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs, in which he note...

About the past | 2018-09-09 09:16

September 11, coffee and Russia in 19th century Korea (part 1)

September 11, coffee and Russia in 19th century Korea (part 1)

Coffee culture in Korea is complicated. It is a relatively new beverage to the peninsula and has been associated with sophistication on one hand and decadence on the other. According to a recent Korea Times headline, coffee is Koreans' favorite drink which, apparently, is a problem.

About the past | 2018-09-08 10:41

September 11, coffee and Russia in 19th century Korea (part 2)

Lost in the past in Pusan

In the spring of 1891, an American missionary stationed in Japan traveled to Pusan (now part of Busan) on a two-week holiday of adventure. Like many foreigners, he roamed about the port and the immediate surrounding region alone _ wanting to get a feel for the real Korea.

About the past | 2018-09-02 09:56

Mapo of the past: pirates, peppers and prophecies

In the 1880s, Mapo was a bustling and important river port of Seoul. It was fairly large _ the port and the surrounding area had a population of about 16,000 people, and was notorious for its inhabitants' shrewdness in depriving country farmers and traders of fair prices. Haggling was not always the tool of choice. The region also had many highwaymen and river pirates who pre...

About the past | 2018-09-01 09:07

The Korean pony: Equine wickedness in the Realm of the Morning Calm

For Western travelers to Korea in the late 19th century, the pony was one of the most popular - if not most exciting - means of transportation. In the words of one British diplomat, the Korean pony “invariably afford(ed) an unfailing source of amusement and irritation according to the temperament of the traveler.”

About the past | 2018-08-26 09:23

In the past, superstitious people believed that dragons dwelt in the deep wells and lakes scattered throughout the country. It was thought that the rains were brought by dragons when they briefly left their lairs.

About the past | 2018-08-25 10:12

A gold miner's life in Korea in the 1960s: Part 5 - superstitions

Mining is a hazardous occupation and, unsurprisingly, many miners are superstitious - the miners at Tongsan were no exception. According to Fred Dustin, the daily lives of the Korean miners who worked for him were “almost completely dictated by methods of appeasing the many spirits” for their audacity of poaching the earth's minerals.

About the past | 2018-08-19 09:50

Chilseok, magpies and a Korean tale of love

Friday was Chilseok, the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It heralds relief from the heat of summer and the start of the rainy season. Considering the horrid heat we have experienced this year, a wet reprieve would be nice. Chilseok is often associated with magpies and crows.

About the past | 2018-08-18 09:44

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Inter-Korean Summit in Pyongyang [PHOTOS]