The Korea Times

Recycling old tin cans in Joseon

A water carrier with his heavy wooden buckets in the early 20th century.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert Neff“The introduction of kerosene,” according to John Jordan, the British consul in Seoul, “has worked a veritable revolution in village life in [Korea, with almost] every cottage possessing [a] Japanese lamp.”But it wasn't just the villagers. There were calls from civic leaders and editorials in The Independent (a newspaper published in Seoul) beseeching the residents of Seoul ― foreign and Korean ― to place lanterns in front of their homes so as to light the streets at night.In January 1898, Horace N. Allen, the American Minister to Korea, issued a circular to the American community in which he wrote:“The Governor of Seoul has compelled the native residents of the city to light up the fronts of their houses at night, and he is desirous that you should do the same. This improvement is enjoyed by us and we should be willing to do our share, especially so as we at present pay no taxes. I request each American property holder to place a kerosene l

Dec 20, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Kerosene importers clash in Joseon

Jemulpo (modern Incheon) in the late 19th century   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the early 1880s, the first “products of Western civilization” that really appealed to Korean consumers were beer, matches and kerosene. During the 19th century, kerosene was the United States' number one export item to the Korean Peninsula. In 1885, more than 162,400 gallons (614,750 liters) of American kerosene arrived in Jemulpo (modern Incheon). Considering the average Korean household purchased relatively small amounts of the oil, the main consumers ― at least in the beginning ― may have been the Korean government and the foreign community.By 1890, Russian oil appeared on the market ― mainly through Jemulpo. Although the Russian oil was cheaper, it was not very popular because of its “bad packing.” According to Walter C. Hillier, the British consul, “The [kerosene] tins leak, and the cases are far too flimsy to stand the rough handling to which they are necessarily subjected in transport into the interior.”In 1896, the amount of Russian kerosene

Dec 18, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

How the great Jemulpo Fire of 1907 started

“Shokansha-dori” of Jemulpo in the early 20th century.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffJust prior to dawn on March 5, 1907, the streets of Jemulpo (modern Incheon) were almost completely deserted due to the early hour and the bitter cold ― aggravated by a fairly strong northerly wind. The few exceptions were probably along the waterfront where customs agents and watchmen prepared for a busy day of inspecting outgoing and incoming goods from the small steamers and junks in the bustling harbor. There was an additional exception, Tsuneno Takahashi, who, in an attempt to flee her uncle's home, would inadvertently ruin the lives of many.Following Japan's victory over the Russians during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), the Japanese population in Korea exploded, as many people came to the peninsula seeking business opportunities. Tsuneno was not an exception. Lured by the prospect of making a good living in Korea, she left her home in Tokushima Prefecture and arrived in Jemulpo in December 1906.There were about 12,000 Japanese residing in Jemulpo when she arrived,

Dec 5, 2022By Robert Neff

How the great Jemulpo Fire of 1907 started

Opinion

Containing the fire god and fighting fires in Joseon

The fierce haetae were able to keep fire at bay but not the mischievousness of children. Circa late 19th or early 20th centuries.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffKorean palaces have always been very popular tourist sites and in the late 19th century Gwanghwamun was especially popular with photographers. According to Horace Allen, the palace was prone to fires ― not only because of the large number of wooden buildings and fire sources but also because of supernatural influences. Fiery malevolence radiated from Namsan (South Mountain) but was contained by the Cheonggyecheon stream and the Han River. The “baneful influence of the fire-god” was diverted from its approach through the “South Gate by building a pond in front of it which [was] kept filled with water” ― which, according to Allen, was the thing it abhorred the most. And, to protect the palace from the fire elements of Mount Gwanak, “the two immense stone animals [the fire-eating haetae] were erected in the street in front of the Palace Gate with their fierce angry faces pointed toward th

Dec 4, 2022By Robert Neff

Containing the fire god and fighting fires in Joseon

Opinion

Heating up winter on Korea's ondol floors

A smoky alley in Seoul in 1912   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the late 19th century, it wasn't uncommon for Seoul to be shrouded in smoke from the thousands and thousands of short chimneys that lined the streets. These chimneys were part of the ondol floor heating system. Horace Allen, an American missionary and later diplomat, spent two decades (1884-1904) in Korea and wrote several books about his experiences. He described ondol heating as:“[A] system of flues is built leading from a fireplace (which fireplace also forms the kitchen in a small house) under the floor to a chimney which may be some feet from the building. Over these flues is laid a floor of flat limestone which is neatly cemented and finally covered with the thick rich oil paper of the country, thus making a tight floor through which the smoke is prevented from escaping into the white papered rooms.” Percival Lowell, another American, spent the winter of 1883/84 in Seoul, and was fascinated by everything around him ― including Korean homes. He noted the ondol fireplace was referred to

Nov 26, 2022By Robert Neff

Heating up winter on Korea's ondol floors

Opinion

Baking bread in Joseon

Jemulpo (modern Incheon) in the late 1880s or early 1890s. Daibutsu Hotel can be seen in the center.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffThe morning of March 27, 1884 was cold but invigorating. Naval surgeon George W. Woods, a crewmember of the American warship, the U.S.S. Juniata, and a guest of the American ambassador to Korea, had arrived in Seoul the previous night with a couple other officers from the ship. Woods woke up to the smell of pine smoke and the sound of a servant stoking the fire in the “ondol” (underfloor heating system). Unlike his peers ― who were still suffering from their trek ― Woods was anxious to explore the city. In a letter home he wrote:“It was a pleasant sensation to get up with bare feet, and feel the surprising warmth of the stone floor covered with matting, and the general tempering of the atmosphere, so agreeable as to make the toilet a pleasure. Why is it that [the] most pleasant things are preached as unhealthy: a cold room, and cold water, and rough towels insure health; while all that is warm, and soft, and desirable is deno

Nov 7, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

King Gojong's 1893 ceremonial visit in honor of King Seonjo

Deoksu Palace in the early part of the 20th century   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffOn the beautiful autumn morning of Nov. 11, 1893, the foreign community in Seoul witnessed the royal family's ceremonial visit to a memorial site located in front of the American Legation (now the ambassador's residence).This ceremonial visit ― performed every 60 years on the fourth day of the 10th month on the lunar calendar ― was to honor King Seonjo's triumphant return to Seoul, through the West Gate, in October 1593. Seonjo's capital was in ruins ― “her palaces had been burned, her sacred places desecrated, and her population more than decimated” by the Japanese invaders in the 1592-98 Imjin War. With so much destroyed, he was forced to take up his abode in the compound of Grand Prince Wolsan (the compound would later be known as Gyeongun Palace) while his new palace was being built. Unfortunately for Seonjo, he did not live long enough to see his new palace completed.Deoksu Palace on a quiet day in March 2001   Robert Neff CollectionKing Gojong, in preparatio

Nov 6, 2022By Robert Neff

King Gojong's 1893 ceremonial visit in honor of King Seonjo

Opinion

Ghost hunting in Joseon

The ruined splendor of Gyeongbok Palace when Joseon no longer existed   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn 1894, a newspaper in the United States published an article about a ghost hunt in Jemulpo (modern Incheon) purportedly written by an American naval officer. It was “an adventure that befell him just before the declaration of war between China and Japan” on Aug. 1, 1894, and the tale ended with a tragedy. It was definitely a tale and the tragedy at the end was the realization that I had wasted not only my time in reading it but also in transcribing it. The writer had obviously not been to Korea and had spun his tale using names he had gleaned from his regional newspapers. It is a shame he did not bother to do a little more research before he started writing because there was a lot of material available.Some of the earliest Western residents in Seoul lived in homes that were reportedly haunted. When the American Legation site ― now housing the ambassador's residence ― was purchased in the early 1880s, it was (if we are to believe Rose Foote, the wife of t

Oct 30, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Korea's early Halloween history

It is that time of year again when scary ghosts, zombies, vampires and witches compete with beautiful princesses, heroic characters of modern lore and cute whimsical creatures lifted from the pages of comic books for treats and praise ― it is, of course, Halloween. Halloween in Korea is generally believed to be a recently introduced event ― perhaps as recent as the 1980s when it first became possible for the average Korean to travel abroad for pleasure. There were, of course, exceptions. Halloween parties were often held on American military installations and were generally confined to military personnel and their families. There were, however, even earlier Halloween parties ― the participants were Americans but they were not military personnel ― they were missionaries and their families. On Oct. 31, 1908, Ethel Mills, a missionary, groused that it was “Halloween night and nothing to do in Korea.” She concluded that “evidently they [it isn't clear if she was talking about her fellow missionaries or her Korean neighbors] have not all the barbarian ideas in vogue.” Almost, in a backhan

Oct 29, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Public pipe smoking ban triggered clashes in Joseon

A police box at Seodaemun in the early 1900s.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the early 1890s, one British visitor to the Korean Peninsula declared that “the chief sources of expense to a [Korean] man lie in his clothes and his pipe.” Pipe smoking was an integral part of Korean society ― enjoyed not only by men, but also women and even children. Tobacco soothed the troubled-spirit, aided in the treatment of diseases and injuries and was even figuratively used to “reckon time by the number of pipes smoked.” An example given in an 1893 article was: “He only stopped long enough to smoke one pipe” ― which indicated a very short time.A Korean gentleman enjoying his pipe in the early 1900s.  Robert Neff CollectionPipes were expensive and prized ― especially the long-stemmed pipes which were seen as status symbols. Thus, it isn't too surprising to learn that when a law prohibiting smoking long pipes in the streets was enacted, it enraged a large number of people. It was the custom of the yangban (gentry) and the affluent (as well as pose

Oct 24, 2022By Robert Neff

Robert Neff

Read more

Recycling old tin cans in Joseon

Kerosene importers clash in Joseon

How the great Jemulpo Fire of 1907 started

Containing the fire god and fighting fires in Joseon

Heating up winter on Korea's ondol floors

Baking bread in Joseon

King Gojong's 1893 ceremonial visit in honor of King Seonjo

Ghost hunting in Joseon

Korea's early Halloween history

Public pipe smoking ban triggered clashes in Joseon

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