The Korea Times

The emperor is crowned: Part 2

A picture of a throne room taken by Burton Holmes circa 1899   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffThe Kingdom of [Joseon] came to a quiet end October 12th, 1897. Not with the tramp of the invader, not with the shout of the traitor did this change take place; no boom of cannon resounded [through] these hills, neither did the lurid flame of the torch light up the streets of the Capital.” It was, according to the editors of The Korean Repository (a monthly English magazine published in Seoul), through the coronation of King Gojong as emperor. The Independent (one of Korea's early newspapers, published in Korean and English in Seoul) was equally dramatic. It claimed Gojong's coronation surpassed Nicholas of Russia's coronation and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria ― not only because of its “quaintness and uniqueness” but also because it took place at 3 a.m. “No European potentiate ever thought of holding a coronation ceremony at such an hour,” the newspaper declared.This “quaint and unique” ceremony began at about 3 a.m. when Gojon

Oct 16, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

The emperor is crowned: Part 1

Hwangudan, the site of the coronation, circa 1909   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert Neff“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” is a line from one of William Shakespeare's plays that expresses how difficult it is to be a monarch. In the fall of 1897, King Gojong was faced with his own dilemma: his people did not want him as a king, but as an emperor.In September, the Korean court was besieged with memorials from the people begging their monarch to accept the title of emperor ― their pleas seemingly unheard. The regret and sorrow felt by some members of the court soon became unbearable. On Oct. 1, the prime minister and a number of government officials knelt in the palace courtyard and, as the common people had earlier, petitioned the king to accept his imperial destiny. In their memorial, they wrote:“In wisdom and bravery, Your Majesty far excels a hundred monarchs. Your disposition is like that of heaven and earth. Your virtues extend even to spirits. You follow the principles of three emperors and inherit the ideas of five sovereigns. During your rei

Oct 15, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Jungyangjeol, one of the luckiest days in the Korean calendar

Autumn scenery of Seoul from the city wall in November 2018   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffAutumn is, arguably, the best time of the year to visit Korea. The oppressive heat of summer and the unbearable humidity of the rainy season are replaced with the crisp, cool temperatures of the mornings and the brilliance of the red and golden leaves on the forested mountains. Besides beautiful scenery, cool temperatures and delicious food and drink, autumn has Jungyangjeol ― one of the luckiest days in the Korean calendar.Jungyangjeol, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is said to be one of the luckiest days of the year. In the past, people used to climb mountains and take in the scenery while drinking honey citron tea and eating gukhwajeon (chrysanthemum pancakes).An American diplomat who had served in Korea in the mid-1890s claimed this was the day in which the chrysanthemums began to bloom and Koreans would place the flower's petals in their wine cups as they relaxed in the colorful splendor of fall and scanned the sky for swallows. It w

Oct 9, 2022By Robert Neff

Jungyangjeol, one of the luckiest days in the Korean calendar

Opinion

High price of rice in 1897

Rice exported from the port of Gunsan in the early 20th century   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the late fall of 1897, the general Korean population was worried about the ever-increasing prices in local markets. Housewives were quite pleased to discover that imported salt was reasonably inexpensive and cabbages and turnips were found in great abundance. The local newspaper noted that this was very welcome news to the thousands of kimchi makers in Seoul. While most households would be well-supplied with kimchi, many were concerned that there would not be enough rice. Rice, the main staple of production in the country, was also one of its primary exports ― its main customer being Japan. The previous year, Japan had suffered devastating floods and other natural events, causing the country to import twice the amount of rice from Korea than it had in the past.According to trade reports, most of the rice was purchased by mill owners in Osaka “for the consumption of the workers who [were] fed on the premises.” But, because of improved methods of cleaning and h

Oct 2, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Toils of farming in late 19th century

Farmers plow a field in the late 19th or early 20th century.   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffFarmers have always played a vital role in society, but in the late 19th century, they were often overlooked by the pens of visiting Western writers and only occasionally captured in their photographs. While many of these images are unflattering, they are ― through their relative simplicity ― beautiful and provide a rather fleeting glimpse of life outside of the capital and the main open ports of Jemulpo (modern Incheon), Fusan (modern Busan) and Wonsan.Horace N. Allen, who came to Korea in 1884 as a missionary physician and left in 1905 as the last American ambassador before the colonization of the peninsula by Japan, devoted a couple pages in one of his books to describing the life of a Korean farmer. His description, of course, had a healthy dose of patronizing mixed in with a pinch of humor.He began by describing Koreans as “an agricultural people” whose principal crop was rice. The Korean farmers' culture revolved around the old methods of the past which invol

Oct 1, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Military parade during Joseon Dynasty

The modern Korean army in the early 1900s.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffThey say everyone loves a parade ― especially a military parade. In late 1888, Frank G. Carpenter, an American travel writer, had the opportunity of reviewing some of Joseon Korea's soldiers ― the old and the new. His observations were brutal. The new soldiers ― all the sons of nobles ― were “drilled twice a day in the palace grounds ― by two American advisors: General William McEntyre Dye, who had served as an officer during the American Civil War and Captain John Henry Nienstead, a former sailor in the American Asiatic Fleet. Carpenter was not overly impressed with their drill or ceremony. He noted the Korean soldiers “marched very well, but their evolutions were not those of war, and were, it seemed to me, of little practical sense.”At the archery range near the ruins of Gyeonghui Palace (also known as the Mulberry Palace) Carpenter found himself, somewhat vexingly, impressed with these modern soldiers' skills with weapons from the past ― bows and arrows ― and disgusted with thei

Sep 25, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

A tiger tale on the road to Wonsan

By Robert NeffThe fury of Korean tigers in the early 1900s   Robert Neff CollectionIn the past, tigers reigned in Korea ― perhaps the only exception being Jeju Island (legends claim Jeju was spared from tiger infestation due to the island having only 99 peaks) ― and could be found in even the most unexpected places, including the bedroom. In 1895, Yi Ik-seup published a “true story” about a tiger in The Korea Repository as a “warning to foreigners with their inordinate love for striped tiger skins, and to foreign ladies who dare to sleep all unconscious of the awful possibilities spread out as mats on the floor of their bedroom.”According to Yi, there once was a magistrate from Seoul who was appointed to a new post in the northeastern part of the Korean Peninsula ― presumably Wonsan ― and needed to travel from the comfort of the capital to his new post overland. This was not an easy matter and would require at least a week or so of travel. As was the general practice, the magistrate and his party stayed at inns (much to the innkeepers' displeasure as

Sep 18, 2022By Robert Neff

Tigers in Wonsan

Opinion

Tigers in Wonsan

A Korean tiger in the early 20th century   Courtesy of Diane Nars CollectionBy Robert NeffIn May 1880, the Korean port of Wonsan opened to Japanese trade and almost immediately the first tales of tiger encounters began to appear in Japanese newspapers. A Japanese resident in that port described ― almost poetically ― one of these early encounters:“It was on a dark night, the horn-like moon having sunk behind the western hills, and the dismal sea-breeze blew, chilling one's blood, when a solitary policeman on watch, sitting under a dim flickering light at the front room at the station, perceived something under his knees, sniffing very hard. Thinking it was a dog seeking food, the policeman gave a kick with his boot, but the object did not move, and began to roar louder and louder in a terrible manner, which was quite unlike a dog. Then the man took a steady gaze, [at which time] he saw a wild beast, whose eyes dazzled him. The surprised policeman stood involuntarily, and, drawing his sword, was about to assail the monster, when the latter, without opposition, ran towar

Sep 17, 2022By Robert Neff

A tiger tale on the road to Wonsan

Opinion

The perfect gift for the holiday

A stand selling fruits circa 1910-1920s. Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert Neff“Chuseok” (a Korean harvest festival and national holiday) is once again upon us. The markets are full of people rushing to buy last-minute gifts before stoically braving traffic snarls, crowded buses, trains and planes to visit their hometowns where, if they are not married, face the ever-increasing demands to know when they will find a mate and have children.Other than a wedding ring and children, money, fruits and the-ever-ubiquitous Spam are some of the most popular gifts. As a foreigner, Spam is undoubtedly the gift I am most familiar with. According to some of my Korean friends, nobody gives Spam to one another; only companies or organizations give it to their employees as a gift ― it has almost become symbolic as a compulsory gift. I don't know how accurate their opinions are, but it is no secret that Spam sells a lot of their product during Chuseok.Many years ago, when I was a young soldier, I remember the most popular gift I could give my Korean friends was not Spam or even alcohol,

Sep 11, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Where was Chuseok in the past?

A Korean crowd in the early 1900s. Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert Neff“Chuseok” is, undoubtedly, one of the most important holidays in Korea. Families gather together, repair and tidy ancestors' graves, celebrate with lots of good food and drink, play games and, in the way only good friends and family are able to, banter throughout the three-day holiday.Of course, not everything associated with the holiday is good. Traffic is notorious! Obtaining bus, train and plane tickets are difficult at best ― although, it is a lot better now than it was prior to 2000 when people were forced to scramble to buy tickets weeks, if not months, in advance. Today's families are smaller than they were only a couple of decades ago and to me, as an outside observer, seem to have removed some of the magic of these gatherings when distant relatives tried to sort their familial status.For many people, including myself, it is easy to slip into nostalgia when remembering this holiday from the past. Perhaps our memories are aided by the romanticized ideas portrayed in Korean movies and dramas

Sep 10, 2022By Robert Neff

Robert Neff

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The emperor is crowned: Part 2

The emperor is crowned: Part 1

Jungyangjeol, one of the luckiest days in the Korean calendar

High price of rice in 1897

Toils of farming in late 19th century

Military parade during Joseon Dynasty

A tiger tale on the road to Wonsan

Tigers in Wonsan

The perfect gift for the holiday

Where was Chuseok in the past?

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