Past Koreans From Eyes of Westerners
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
History depends on the eye of the beholder. What Koreans know about the nation's history and tradition today has been handed down by their ancestors. But what did Koreans look like in the eyes of outsiders?
Three old books by Westerners recently published in Korea show how Koreans lived, vividly depicted from the perspectives of foreigners.
The books ― two in English and one in Portuguese ― have been translated into Korean and published by the Korean Literature Translation Institute (KLTI) in association with Myongji University-LG Yeonam Library and Sallim Publishing.
It is part of the Korean Heritage Books series covering the eras from the 16th to the 20th century, which will be translated into Korean from other languages. Myongji University-LG Yeonam Library has collected more than 10,000 antique books, documents and photos since 1997. From the collection, the institute will publish a total of 92 translations by 2012.
Yoon Ji-kwan, director of the institute, said that its primary work is to publish Korean literature translated into foreign languages in other countries, but this time, it is the opposite.
``We've decided to publish these old foreign books in Korean to introduce how Koreans looked to the eyes of foreigners in the past. It is worth publishing so that we Koreans can better know ourselves,'' Yoon said in a recent press conference.
``It is very rare to find old books and documents about Korea. If so, in many cases, they have strong biases against Orientalism,'' he said.
However, he stressed that the new series is based on a correct translation without beautifying or nationalistically interpreting them, instead revealing the ugly parts without filtering them.
The first of the series is ``Happiest Girl in Korea'' by Minerva L. Guthapfel, which was published in 1911; the second, ``Korea and The Sacred White Mountain'' in 1891 by Captain A. E. J. Cavendish; and lastly, ``Historia De Japam'' by P. Luis Frois.
The three books were written at different times but have something in common; they are about Korea.
``Historia De Japam'' deals with Japanese history but the translated book excerpts the parts related to the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), which were written in Portuguese by Rev. Luis Frois, a Society of Jesus priest from 1563 to 1597.
The book includes Joseon's geography, climate, major agricultural products, and the characteristics of the Joseon people who were good at archery and naval battles.
The book also introduces Joseon's closed-door policy against Westernization and its tribute relationship with China, unveiling the hermit kingdom to European countries.
His historical description has enormous value since the author was one of the few foreigners who witnessed the Japanese invasion of Joseon, better known as the ``Imjin War'' in 1592 and the turbulent times of Japan during his stay there.
An American female missionary who stayed in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from 1903 to 1912 wrote ``Happiest Girl in Korea.'' The book is comprised of a series of essays about the late Joseon Kingdom she submitted to a Christian magazine.
The book deals with the true incidents reported from actual happenings. She vividly describes Oakpunie, a little girl, who was born in a poverty-stricken home and sold as a slave to a wealthy family. Although the Korean girl experienced hard work, cruel beatings and had her two hands and one foot amputated due to frostbite, she told the missionary that she was the happiest girl in Joseon.
The book adopts various narratives from the first to the third person's point of view with high levels of literary artistry by touching on the poor and the minorities such as Youpogie, a wandering boy, in the threshold of modernization in 1900s, but doesn't go beyond the limit of religious ethics.
``Korea and The Sacred White Mountain'' is about a journey two British military officers made from Jemulpo, the maritime port of Seoul, and Wonsan to Mt. Baekdu in 1891.
The book depicts the flora and fauna in great detail. The author has a critical view of the Joseon king, saying, ``Fortunately or unfortunately, the constitutional weakness of mind and body, inherited from a long line of debauchees, makes the King a mere puppet in the hands of his queen, a strong-minded woman, whose relatives and adherents fill almost every appointment.''
The book also harshly divulges the impotence and corruption of the kingdom, saying, ``There is to be found the fountain-head of official corruption and `squeezing,' for every member of the well-born class spends his time in seeking his share of the loaves and fishes of dishonesty (in a European sense).''
It describes the actual records, revealing the Joseon's royal court's mismanagement. The book says, ``the revenues of the country go into the royal treasury, and are undoubtedly, in a great measure, spent in ministering to the luxuries and caprices of an absolute monarch. … The net revenue from customs in 1890 was over $500,000, but how much of this was spent in improving the country?''
Chung Sung-hwa, a history professor of Myongji University said that such books will provide important historic sources both to scholars and readers.
``These foreign books and documents dealing with Korea will be useful to modern Koreans including ordinary people and historians,'' Chung said.