Keeping the peace in Joseon
Encounters in the street where “the low class must respect the high officials.” Circa early 1900s. Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the late 19th century, keeping the peace in the Land of the Morning Calm was no easy matter as the police officers often found themselves the victims of physical assaults by enraged citizens angered by the constantly changing laws.Some of these laws were already part of the normal etiquette of Korean society and were readily accepted, such as a police department decree in 1897 that declared, “The low class must respect the high officials; the young must revere the old; the influential person must not ill-treat the weak and lowly; the grown persons must not impose upon the children.”Oxen laden with brushwood passing through the Independence Gate. Circa early 1900s. Robert Neff CollectionOther laws, however, seemed to go against social norms: “The practice among the people of congregating on the street corners and obstructing the public road, and talking boisterously must be strictly forbidden.” Apparen
