The Korea Times

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

Opinion

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 2

A view of Kobe in the early 20th century   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffOn Feb. 28, 1880, the American merchant vessel St. Charles sailed into Hiogo (Kobe) Harbor with a small load of miscellaneous goods and 40,000 cases of kerosene from New York. The ship was relatively new (only 11 years old) and in good repair ― having been newly coppered for the voyage and equipped with new sails. After such a long voyage, one can imagine Captain E.V. Gates and his crew were more than a little excited with the prospect of celebrating the success of their voyage in one of the port's many taverns and drinking establishments. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be much of a celebration.On March 1, the ship suddenly burst into flames. The crews of three warships (British, German and Italian) rendered assistance but all efforts to extinguish the fires failed and the American merchant ship was towed into shallow water and scuttled. There was nothing anyone could do but wait for the ship to burn itself out.Adding fuel to the flames, it was discovered that the kerosene was insured, but the shi

Sep 4, 2022By Robert Neff

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 2

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 1

Opinion

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 1

A view of Kobe in the early 1890s   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffSometimes, while following the histories of Westerners residing in Korea in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is easy to go down a rabbit hole. My rabbit hole this week was Kobe, Japan.In 1880, Kobe (commonly referred to as Hiogo) was a bustling Japanese port city of more than 200,000 residents. It had a thriving foreign community of about 875 people. The largest groups were the Chinese (516), British (232), Germans (56), Americans (33) and Portuguese (17). There were several consulates ― including Hawaii ― along with a municipal council, a police force (two Western supervisors and 5 Chinese patrolmen), a post office, a newspaper, a customs office, banks and even a railroad station. For respectable entertainment, there were two clubs (the Kobe Club and Kobe Regatta Athletics Club) and a “bowling saloon” ― the owner later added a billiard room making his establishment even more attractive.The railroad tracks connecting Kobe with the rest of Japan circa early 1890s   Robert

Sep 3, 2022By Robert Neff

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 1

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 2

Opinion

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 2

One of the Han River ports in the winter of 1883/84   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn 1890, an unnamed Westerner provided an account of his experience in Korea in the month or two following the Imo Incident of 1882. According to him, he was a junior officer aboard one of the Japanese steamships that was used to transport Japanese soldiers to Korea. While awaiting orders from headquarters, he and the rest of the crew had a lot of free time which “hung rather heavily” upon them.“So many stories were told about this strange country [Korea] that they excited quite a fascination for me as I gazed at the blue tint of the distant mountains where [Seoul] was supposed to be situated. No European, so I was told, except in disguise, had yet been inside its walls, and the glory of being the first was a strong incentive to make the attempt; besides I might perhaps be able to obtain a glance at the Court, just now under a cloud, but said to be still carried on in real Oriental splendor.”Unfortunately for him, the Japanese authorities in what would eventuall

Aug 28, 2022By Robert Neff

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 2

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 1

Opinion

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 1

Area just outside of Seoul in the winter of 1883/84   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffThe summer of 1882 brought many changes to Korea, including the establishment of treaties with the West, but it did not bring the anticipated rains. Wells and streams dried up and, without water, the rice crops died in the fields. Rice prices doubled, then tripled. Already burdened with the Korean government's heavy taxes, many people fled their farms and villages for the surrounding countryside and hills where they roamed as bandits, preying upon one another.There were many who objected to the government's policy of establishing treaties with the West and Japan. Diviners, shamans and anti-foreign elements took advantage of the drought to play upon the superstitious fears of the common people. They claimed these treaties had angered the spirits of their ancestors and, as a result, the land was cursed and rain was forbidden from falling. The city was a powder keg of unrest and all it needed was a single spark to set it off ― that spark came when soldiers were cheated out of their just w

Aug 28, 2022By Robert Neff

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 1

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 2

Opinion

Korean archery - 'A fundamental aspect of refinement'

Korean archers along what looks like part of the city wall. Circa 1930s.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIt has been said that the bow was once the most powerful Korean weapon in combat until the early 17th century when matchlock rifles appeared on the peninsula. However, archery remained an integral part of Korean society and it was, according to Shin Myung-ho, the author of Joseon Royal Court Culture, “a fundamental aspect of refinement.”Many of Joseon's early monarchs were masters of archery. King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) frequently demonstrated his prowess with the bow and, according to one source, was “unrivaled by his contemporaries.” While practicing in Suwon, he hit the target 24 out of 25 times. “The king used a red painted bow made of rhinoceros horn” and shot at a target with a bear's head painted in the center of a white background and surrounded by red hemp cloth. Other participants in the competition or practice shot at similar targets except theirs had a blue border and a painted stag's head in the center. “The differen

Aug 21, 2022By Robert Neff

Korean archery - 'A fundamental aspect of refinement'

Opinion

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 2

A hand-colored postcard of the port of Jemulpo. Circa 1910-1920s.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffAfter the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), the fairly lucrative Han River steamboat business between Jemulpo (modern Incheon) and Seoul remained firmly and uncontested in the hands of Japanese enterprises, the primary one being the Shoji River Steamer Company.Like its predecessors and competitors, Shoji River Steamer Company faced frequent groundings and increased displeasure from its customers. Complaints were frequent and occasionally were printed in the regional newspapers. An example of this is an article that appeared in The Independent in May 1896:“Some gentlemen started last Saturday at noon from [Jemulpo] and came up the river on a Japanese steamer arriving in Seoul at 7 o'clock Sunday morning. It will be a glad day when a man can go by rail between these points instead of being at the mercy of these poor crafts.”A small steamship at Jemulpo circa 1911.  Robert Neff CollectionTravel on the river was considered so haphazard that many people were wary of usin

Aug 14, 2022By Robert Neff

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 2

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 1

Opinion

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 1

The port of Jemulpo in the early 1900s. A steam launch, possibly a river boat, can be seen in the background.  Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the late 19th century, before the construction of the railroad, travel between Jemulpo (modern Incheon) and Seoul was either an arduous overland journey by foot, rickshaw, palanquin or cantankerous pony ― all were slow and uncomfortable ― or by a handful of small steam-powered riverboats. One might assume the riverboats were more comfortable and quicker, but those assumptions are generally wrong.In the early 1890s, one English adventurer described ― somewhat amusingly ― his experiences of traveling on the Han River in a small steamboat. According to him, the steamboat company had two small vessels ― one was a small side-wheel paddleboat (possibly the 30-ton Kei-lei) and the other a screw steamer. He denounced them as “very rickety [and] wretchedly-managed craft.” They sailed from Jemulpo on alternate days and returned from Seoul the following day ― at least they were supposed to.At 5 in the morning on June 30, the Engli

Aug 13, 2022By Robert Neff

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 1

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 2

Opinion

The fate of Sontag Hotel

The main building of Sontag Hotel in 1909 ― Boher can be seen standing near the fence. Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffWhen Marie Antoinette Sontag returned to Korea sometime in late 1906 or early 1907, she found Seoul had greatly changed. The foreign legations were now mere consulates and Japan dominated Korean politics and business opportunities ― most of the Westerners employed by the Korean government were replaced with Japanese. Yet, Sontag managed to return to her former position in the Imperial Household and apparently was still operating a hotel for distinguished guests.There were only a couple of hotels operating in Seoul in early 1909 ― the most important and well-known were the Astor House Hotel (formerly Station Hotel) and the Palace Hotel. According to the English-language newspaper, The Korea Daily News, “both of [these hotels are] managed by hard working Frenchmen who have sunk their all in their respective businesses.” The proprietors of these hotels were, respectively, Lucien Martin and J. Boher.The newspaper's editor, Ernest Thomas Bethell, asserted

Aug 7, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Sontag Hotel - 'consultation center for diplomatic conspiracies'

A view of Sontag Hotel and its staff circa 1910   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffOne of the greatest obstacles for Westerners visiting Seoul prior to 1900 was a lack of accommodations. With no suitable hotels, visitors were forced to impose themselves upon friends or family or throw themselves upon the mercy of foreign residents of the city or even their legations and consulates. However, in 1900, things began to change.In a letter to his sons in September 1900, Horace N. Allen, the American minister to Korea, described the recent developments in Seoul:“[Ms.] Sontag is about to build and run a fine first class hotel in Chong Dong (Jeong-dong). You know it will be good if she runs it, and we will at least take our Sunday dinners with her when she gets it started. [Kalitzky] and Mrs. Emberley and a Korean are also preparing little hotels, so Seoul will be supplied at last. You would hardly know the place now.”It turns out Friedrich A. Kalitzky (a German citizen of Polish heritage) did not establish a hotel but instead started a general store. Mr. and Mrs. Emb

Aug 6, 2022By Robert Neff

Robert Neff

Read more

Where was Chuseok in the past?

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 2

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 1

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 2

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 1

Korean archery - 'A fundamental aspect of refinement'

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 2

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 1

The fate of Sontag Hotel

Sontag Hotel - 'consultation center for diplomatic conspiracies'

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