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Sun, November 29, 2020 | 19:28

Americans mine for gold in northern Korea (Part Two)

Americans mine for gold in northern Korea (Part Two)

In the late 1890s, most of the Western employees of the mining concession were grizzled old prospectors and seasoned miners from the “Wild Wild West,” Alaska, the Klondike and Mexico - their willingness to use a gun or their fists was essential in getting the mines in operation. However, once mining operations began to run smoothly the company phased out these ornery old cuss...

2020-11-29 09:03

Americans mine for gold in northern Korea: Part 1

Americans mine for gold in northern Korea: Part 1

They say that every picture is worth a thousand words, and while that may be true, unless we have the background and provenance of the picture, the words are merely that - a jumble of words with no true story.

2020-11-28 11:05

Thanksgiving in Joseon Korea: Baked beans gobbled up, but no turkey

Thanksgiving in Joseon Korea: Baked beans gobbled up, but no turkey

In 1884, the handful of Americans living in Korea celebrated American Thanksgiving in a rather humble manner. According to Horace Allen - an American missionary - it was “a cold, crisp day [minus 3 degrees Celsius] with the ground frozen for four inches below the surface.” His small family and their two guests, Mr. Charles S. Scudder (the Secretary of the American Legation) a...

2020-11-22 17:38

'Flying rats' ruffle feathers in modern and old Seoul

'Flying rats' ruffle feathers in modern and old Seoul

They seem to be everywhere in Seoul - great flocks of pigeons swirling through the air in search of food or a place to roost. Some people seem to enjoy having them around. Occasionally, in Seoul's numerous small neighborhood parks, elderly people sit on benches and feed the pigeons stale bread and other goodies - despite signs and banners asking them not to.

2020-11-21 09:39

HMS Edgar is forgotten (part 2)

HMS Edgar is forgotten (part 2)

Often when there is a tragedy, the community comes together and grieves, honors the memories of those who are lost - often with a monument - and then continue with life. On the anniversary of the disaster there are usually small ceremonies of remembrance but, as time goes by, these, too, cease. The Edgar is no exception.

2020-11-15 09:21

Remembering HMS Edgar (part 1)

Remembering HMS Edgar (part 1)

On November 13, 1895, Korea's autumn, as well as the lives of 48 young English sailors and marines, suddenly ended with an icy cold wind from the north. The young men were part of HMS Edgar's crew and had been sent in a pinnace to an island in Jemulpo harbor to conduct small arms training. The weather that morning was blustery and while the crew trained, the ferocity of the w...

2020-11-14 11:31

French marines paint Korea red in 1902

French marines paint Korea red in 1902

In mid-August 1902, a French warship sailed into Fusan (modern Busan) and granted shore leave for a large number of marines. The foreign settlement at Fusan was predominantly Japanese - in fact, there was only a handful of non-Japanese foreign-owned establishments. The arrival of so many marines - who had been cooped up aboard their ship for some time - was a recipe for troub...

2020-11-08 10:53

Rollicking tales of the sea: French Navy sails into Korea in 1901

Rollicking tales of the sea: French Navy sails into Korea in 1901

Rollicking tales of the sea: French Navy sails into Korea in 1901

In any small community there is going to be gossip and the small Western expat community in Seoul in the early 1900s was no exception. Americans seem to have been especially plagued with wagging-tongues (and poisonous pens) that were quick to point out the perceived slights and wrong-doings of peers, the scandalous behavior of neighbors and the oddities of strangers.

2020-11-07 06:14

French marines paint Korea red in 1902

Drilling into history: ghosts, ghouls not as feared as dentists

Drilling into history: ghosts, ghouls not as feared as dentists

For some people, the sound of a dental drill is far more frightening than any ghost or goblin encountered in the night. That fear, however, is conquered when the throbbing ache of the cavity becomes too much to bear and the sufferer is forced to seek relief by the hands of a dentist and his incessant drill.

2020-11-01 09:15

The lure of candy: Child killers stalk Seoul's 1880s streets

The lure of candy: Child killers stalk Seoul's 1880s streets

In the summer of 1888, the children of Seoul were being stalked through the streets and killed. Sometimes their bodies, horribly mutilated and missing parts, were found discarded in out-of-the-way places but often the child was never found - vanished without a trace.

2020-10-31 09:38

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