The Korea Times

Warships on the Han River: Part 1

The frigate Seoul (FF952) seemingly guards the bicycle lanes and is the main feature of the Battleship Park in Mangwon-dong, August 2018.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffThroughout the 19th century, Western-style ships were occasionally sighted around the Korean Peninsula. Sometimes they passed peacefully, a mere curiosity to their bewildered witnesses, while at other times these strange vessels fell afoul of the weather or upon treacherous unmapped reefs and were cast upon the shore. It was these latter encounters that were extremely annoying as the Joseon authorities had to be deal with the shipwrecked crews as kindly as possible and repatriate them quickly through either China or Japan. It is unfortunate Joseon was cursed with an undeserved reputation for being less-than-hospitable to shipwrecked survivors when, judging from the accounts, the survivors received far more favorable treatment here than they did in China or Japan. There were the occasional violent interactions between foreign sailors and Korean villagers and fishermen, but these were thankfully few in number

Jun 24, 2023By Robert Neff

Opinion

Behind every man is…

Awaiting judgement in the past    Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffThere is an old saying ― perhaps frowned upon in these enlightened times ― that behind every great man is a great woman. A person's success is often due to the assistance of their partner ― and this seems to be true, even in crime.In 1896, the authorities in Seoul and Jemulpo (modern Incheon) began a harsh crackdown on fortunetellers, diviners, palm readers, prophets, sorceresses and shamans. Seoul's jails were filled with these poor individuals who, despite claiming to see into the future, were unable to predict their own arrests.The police in Jemulpo, not to be outdone by their metropolitan brethren, also began a crackdown. According to The Independent, a newspaper published in Seoul:“A few days ago a mudang (shaman) was raising a disturbance in a house at the port and the police promptly stopped it, but the mayor, Im O-chun, at the instigation of his concubine, called the policemen and rated them for enforcing the rule.”Of course, the editor of the newspaper, Seo Jai-pil (Philip Jaisohn) to

Jun 19, 2023By Robert Neff

Opinion

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 6: Pyongyang

After leaving Songdo (Gaeseong), John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy and temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, traveled to Hwangju ― a town “surrounded by a heavy wall which extends to the summit of the hills in the rear.”

Jun 18, 2023By Robert Neff

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 6: Pyongyang

Opinion

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 part 5: Gaeseong's bridges and tombs

Seonjuk Bridge (right) and its smaller replacement bridge (left) can be seen in the center of the image. In the background is Pyochung where two stone steles are kept commemorating the assassination ― one erected by King Yeongjo in 1740 and the other by King Gojong in 1872.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffJohn Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy and temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, visited Gaeseong for a very short time in early July 1884 while on his way to Pyongyang. Bernadou's descriptions of Gaeseong are anemic ― especially in regard to the ruins of the city.According to Bernadou:“The ruins of the former palace are still be seen; they are to the northward of the city, at the foot of a range of granite hills like those at [Seoul]. The foundations along remain. Circular grooves, cut in certain stones such as are now made, would seem to show that the structures were of wood like those of the present day. A few walls and wide flights of ruined steps remain; the base of a small pavilion, a pile or rectangular blocks of stone,

Jun 12, 2023By Robert Neff

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 part 5: Gaeseong's bridges and tombs

Opinion

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

The South Gate of Gaeseong circa early 20th century was built between 1391 and 1393. It was badly damaged during the Korean War and was rebuilt in 1954. Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the late 19th century, the people of Gaeseong were somewhat unlike the residents of other parts of the peninsula. When John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, visited the city in early July 1884, he noted that the people of Gaeseong dressed somewhat differently from the people in Seoul. In one of the few articles he published about Korea, he wrote: “The black hat so common in the former city [Gaeseong] is replaced by a bullock driver's hat of matting, and the green gown worn over the head as a veil by the women of the capital is not here seen.”It is a shame that he did not elaborate on some of the other differences, but fortunately, other subsequent visitors did. Some of these visitors noted the great hospitality they received from the residents ― treated to pears, dried persimmons, dates and other dainties

May 27, 2023By Robert Neff

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

Opinion

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

A traveler and his pack team near Seoul in the late 19th century. Bernadou traveled on foot, but many of the early Westerners went by palanquin, ponies or bicycles.   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffJohn Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, may have been one of the earliest Western pathfinders between Seoul and two former Korean capitals (Gaeseong and Pyongyang) but his narrative was often lacking. This is extremely frustrating as he was so meticulous with his annotations of material collected while on his travels.Perhaps after a hard day of trekking in the mud and his constant upset stomach, he just did not have the energy to devote to writing in detail about the seemingly mundane villages he passed ― especially so early in his journey.He briefly noted that in the immediate vicinity of Seoul, the soil was poor and provided only light crops, but after some 20 kilometers, “the character of the country changes, and from here on it is wonderfully fertile.”He explained, “Great stre

May 21, 2023By Robert Neff

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

Opinion

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 2: Goyang and Beyond

The city walls of Seoul, photographed by Pierre Louis Jouy in the mid-1880s   Annual Report of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institute (1891)By Robert NeffSeoul, in the summer of 1884, was filled with rivalries among the small handful of young Western men. Each of these men (naval officers, diplomats and anthropological collectors) sought to be the “first” to visit or witness various locations and events on the Korean Peninsula. John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, was no exception.A guide post, photographed by Pierre Louis Jouy in the mid-1880s   Annual Report of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institute (1891)After several months of language training (“closeted five hours daily” with his Korean teacher) and waiting for the weather to clear up, Bernadou departed Seoul on the morning of July 3 for his great adventure that would take him to the forbidden city of Pyongyang and then on to Uiju, near the border with China. He wasn't going alone; he was provided wit

May 20, 2023By Robert Neff

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 2: Goyang and Beyond

Opinion

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 1: Collecting

In the summer of 1884, there were a handful of Westerners exploring the Korean Peninsula ― one of them was John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul. Part of his responsibilities was to gather material for the Smithsonian Institute ― a task that he did admirably well as evidenced by the large collection that can still be found in the museum.

May 13, 2023By Robert Neff

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 1: Collecting

Opinion

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Tooth and stone

Wooden paths and steps provide easy access to the valley but there are a lot of steps.   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffEven within the bustling confines of Seoul, history and natural beauty are easily accessible to those who are willing to go off the beaten path. One such place is Suseongdong Valley ― to the west of Gyeongbok Palace. This region has long been a favorite hiking spot for foreign visitors to Seoul such as Arnold Henry Savage Landor, an English artist and writer who visited the valley in early 1891.Landor's accounts of Korea are interesting but at times suspicious. He wrote authoritatively about the country even though he only spent a couple of months on the peninsula and so it is only natural to wonder how he came by all his knowledge. He did not read or speak Korean, there were relatively few books about Korea written in English and the population of Westerners in Seoul was extremely small ― most of them having arrived within the previous five years.According to Landor, the general Korean population believed that the mountains and hills were haunted by

Apr 30, 2023By Robert Neff

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Tooth and stone

Opinion

Choheon - The Wheel of Class

A Korean choheon in the late 19th century   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffSpring is in the air and the bike lanes along the Han River are filled with enthusiastic riders (many of them ― judging from their behavior ― are still learning to ride), wandering pedestrians who are more concerned with taking a selfie than staying in their designated lanes and electric scooters whose daredevil drivers seem to have watched too many action movies. Bicycle riding in Korea is an enjoyable adventure with a long history. In April 1884, George Woods, a naval surgeon, wandered the busy streets of Seoul observing the officials and noblemen passing by. Most of them were mounted on “sleek, fat, white ponies with long tails and braided manes” ― each led by a groom, while others rode in chairs borne by two or four bearers. However, the “most curiously mounted” of these nobles was one man who rode in a “choheon.” In his journal, Woods wrote:“[The noble] had an ordinary chair arranged on a frame supported by springs, and this mounted six feet in the

Apr 29, 2023By Robert Neff

Robert Neff

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Warships on the Han River: Part 1

Behind every man is…

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 6: Pyongyang

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 part 5: Gaeseong's bridges and tombs

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 2: Goyang and Beyond

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 1: Collecting

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Tooth and stone

Choheon - The Wheel of Class

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