The Korea Times

Evans' visit to Seoul: part 2

Deoksu Palace in the early 20th century     Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffWhen Admiral Robley D. Evans of the United States Navy visited Seoul on Aug. 8, 1902, he was very impressed with the American Legation. He described Horace Allen's residence as being “a charming, refined house full of exquisite old things.” He was undoubtedly correct. Allen was known for his various Korean collections (mainly pottery) and for his tendency to gossip. I can easily imagine Allen regaling the American naval officer with all sorts of tidbits he had gleaned from his friends, staff, servants and his own imagination. In his memoirs, the admiral described Korea as being backward and conservative but the Korean monarch as being somewhat progressive. In a somewhat amusing manner, he explained that Gojong, “finding himself only a king, while his ruling neighbor on the one side was an emperor (from Japan) and on the other an empress (from China), he proceeded to declare that he also would be an emperor.” According to the admiral, Gojong appropriated a very large

Aug 6, 2023By Robert Neff

Opinion

Admiral Robley Evans' visit to Seoul in 1902: Part 1

In early August 1902, Horace N. Allen, the American minister to Korea, received a message from Admiral Robley D. Evans informing him that the American fleet would arrive in Jemulpo (modern Incheon) on Aug. 6. The admiral added that he would appreciate it if Allen could arrange for him and his naval officers to have an audience with the Korean emperor on the following day. Allen promptly complied and the Korean palace immediately set to work on preparing for the audience and a banquet for the esteemed American naval officers.

Aug 5, 2023By Robert Neff

Admiral Robley Evans' visit to Seoul in 1902: Part 1

Opinion

Bar fights and Russian spies: Just another day at Daibutsu Hotel

Daibutsu Hotel is the large multi-storied building in the center of the image.   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffThere is an old saying that in wine there is truth but often one man's truth is merely an opinion that would be better kept to himself. Unfortunately, alcohol also inspires people to want to share their truths with everyone around them ― often in a loud voice.In December 1886, a serious incident took place at Daibutsu Hotel in Chemulpo (modern Incheon). The hotel was one of the largest and most popular in the port. It was also fairly cosmopolitan. Although it was located in the Japanese settlement of the port, it was frequented by sailors from various nations' warships and merchant vessels, businessmen and residents of Chemulpo, and those just passing through the port seeking opportunities. One of the latter, Walter Laws, a Black American, was sitting at a table and drinking (probably Japanese beer) with a member of the Korean Customs Service. Laws, who seems to have been emboldened with his drink, made a derogatory comment about a Chinese man at the counter.

Jul 30, 2023By Robert Neff

Bar fights and Russian spies: Just another day at Daibutsu Hotel

Opinion

Beer arrives in 19th-century Joseon

For many people, crispy fried chicken and ice-cold beer are just as much a part of the Korean summer as are the heat and humidity. Beer is extremely popular here ― so popular that in 2022, the average Korean adult consumed 83 bottles of beer a year. Korea clearly has an affinity with beer, but it is a fairly recent one. In August 1875, a British warship played host to a Korean magistrate and his entourage. They were guided about the ship and then the British captain had a keg of pale ale brought out and served to his guests. Apparently, they were not overwhelmed by this strange new drink as they gave “no signs of pleasure or disgust” while drinking it. When Percival Lowell arrived in Chemulpo (modern Incheon) in late 1883, he and his companions were transported to Seoul in palanquins and a couple of jinrikishas which were very recent introductions to Korea. The Korean drivers were “perfectly innocent of the way to handle the vehicles” and dumped one of the riders into a ditch. The accident left the jinrikisha “smashed beyond the possibility of mending on the spot and [it] had to be a

Jul 29, 2023By Robert Neff

Opinion

Busan in 19th century: Sharks and mermaids

At the beach in Busan in the early 20th century    Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffFor many people, summer means frolicking on the beach with friends and family. It is a time to enjoy the sun, the water and the beautiful views ― but there are also discomforts associated with the beach: too much sun leads to sunburns, sand everywhere including in your swimsuit and the huge crowds and subsequent larger amount of litter. There is, of course, the unspoken danger of sharks. People normally do not think about sharks in Korea but lately they have been in the news ― their recent appearances are blamed upon global warming. But sharks aren't really newcomers to Korean waters ― especially in the southern parts of the country. According to various trade reports from the late 19th century, one of Korea's chief exports was shark fin. And, if we are to believe the Western accounts, shark flesh was once quite popular in local markets.In 1890, the customs commissioner at Fusan (modern Busan) surnamed Hunt even described the very lucrative shark fishery at that port being carried on by &

Jul 22, 2023By Robert Neff

Busan in 19th century: Sharks and mermaids

Opinion

The Korean wave to Hawaii part 2: From riches to rags to freedom

Chinnampo (modern Nampo), a gateway to a great escape, circa early 1900s     Courtesy of Diane Nars CollectionBy Robert NeffOften we think of the early Korean immigrants in Hawaii as Christians and people from the lower social classes who left Korea in hopes of enriching their lives (financially and spiritually), but many of them were from the upper class (yangban) and financially well-off ― they left Korea not so much for wealth, but for freedom from the social norms.In his book, “The Korean Frontier in America,” Wayne Patterson provides several family testimonies from yangban families who gave up everything and moved to Hawaii.According to one account, long before Joseon was established, there was a prime minister named Kim who “was the duplicate of the King in face and figure.” This likeness was the source of his fame and his death.“Once when the Korean King was at war with his rebellious lords, the prime minister, seeing the danger that the King was in, quickly changed his garb for the King's, had him taken to a safe refuge, then ridin

Jul 9, 2023By Robert Neff

The Korean wave to Hawaii part 2: From riches to rags to freedom

The Korean wave to Hawaii: part 1

Opinion

The Korean wave to Hawaii part 3: Picture Brides

Namdaemun in the early 20th century     Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffLee Chong-gun was born in the spring of 1881. According to him, he was enrolled in his local So Dang, or traditional school, but he was not one to study. His father was exasperated by the lack of ambition in his son and warned him that he had been provided with the opportunity to study and this his future failures would be his own responsibility.Eventually Lee matured enough that he realized his father was correct so, in order to turn his life around, he went to Seoul in the winter of 1902 with the intention of making his father proud by resuming his studies. It was near Namdaemun that he saw the large posters pasted to the walls offering a new life in Hawaii:“[We] will give [you] an opportunity. The farms will pay wages, water and hospital, and the government provides free education. The work is ten hours every day and the wages of 598 chon [cents] daily, 26 days for fifteen dollars.”Lee quickly returned home and told his father that he intended on going to Hawaii. At first his fam

Jul 8, 2023By Robert Neff

The Korean wave to Hawaii part 3: Picture Brides

The Korean wave to Hawaii: part 1

Opinion

The Korean wave to Hawaii: part 1

Waiting for an opportunity on the Jemulpo waterfront circa 1890-1900s    Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn early 1903, notices pasted or tacked to walls began to appear in markets and other busy places throughout Korea. These notices offered opportunities and hope ― things many people desperately wanted and needed. For many, the Land of the Morning Calm was one of oppression caused by social classes and Mother Nature. To use the modern term, it was “Hell Joseon.”Over the previous decade, the peninsula had suffered waves of drought, famine, pestilence, disease, lawlessness, insurrection and war. Hundreds and thousands died. Those who survived were often left with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, and beggars and thieves were frequently encountered in the streets. The beggars were nuisances whose pitifulness caused passersby to reluctantly give them small coins while the highwaymen were outright dangerous and would steal not only all of the passersby's coins but sometimes their lives.People were desperate to escape this “Hell Joseon” a

Jul 2, 2023By Robert Neff

Opinion

Waves of destruction hit Korea in 1890s

The busy harbor of Jemulpo in the early 20th century    Courtesy of Diane Nars CollectionBy Robert NeffOn the morning of Feb. 3, 1899, the residents of Seoul woke up to heavy snow. In her diary, one American woman wrote that it was “snowing like anything” and the snowflakes were perhaps the largest she had ever seen. For her, the snow was an inconvenience, but for others, it was deadly ― especially when it melted suddenly. Along the west coast of the peninsula, the morning started out cold and beautiful but soon black clouds, pushed by sudden and powerful winds, darkened the entire sky. The bitter cold was replaced with a pounding rain and havoc was wreaked at various ports along the coast.A correspondent for the Shanghai Mercury (an English-language newspaper published in Shanghai) described Gunsan as being “perhaps the greatest sufferer” from the sudden and destructive storm.“[One] of the Japanese coasting steamers (at Gunsan) broke from her moorings and was driven upon some rocks and then was carried high up ashore and many hundreds of yards

Jul 1, 2023By Robert Neff

Opinion

Warships on the Han River: Part 2

The frigate Seoul (FF952) is on display at Battleship Park in western Seoul's Mangwon-dong, April 2019.   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffFollowing the French-Korean conflict known as “Byeonginyangyo” in 1866, Heungseon Daewongun, the Joseon regent, became painfully aware of the need to strengthen and modernize the country's own navy in order to fend off foreign intrusions and maintain its self-imposed isolation. He needed his own “vessels moved by fire.”In 1867, an immense but innovative project began at the small naval base at Yanghwajin using technology allegedly obtained from the General Sherman ― an ill-fated American merchant vessel that had dared to sail up the Taedong River the previous year. Unlike the French warships, the General Sherman never left Korea ― or did it? It has been suggested that the General Sherman was towed from Pyongyang to Yanghwajin where Kim Gi-du, a weapon and ship designer, was able to use it as a guide for the construction of three modern steam-driven warships.However, it seems more probable that the General Sherm

Jun 25, 2023By Robert Neff

Robert Neff

Read more

Evans' visit to Seoul: part 2

Admiral Robley Evans' visit to Seoul in 1902: Part 1

Bar fights and Russian spies: Just another day at Daibutsu Hotel

Beer arrives in 19th-century Joseon

Busan in 19th century: Sharks and mermaids

The Korean wave to Hawaii part 2: From riches to rags to freedom

The Korean wave to Hawaii part 3: Picture Brides

The Korean wave to Hawaii: part 1

Waves of destruction hit Korea in 1890s

Warships on the Han River: Part 2

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