By Steven L. Shields
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Gold rushes in California and Alaska are well-known in history. But Korea had its own gold rush that began in the final years of the Joseon era, through the Korean Empire and into the Japanese occupation. Many people, and often their families, came to Korea to dig the precious metal out of the hillsides and mountains. One miner later became president of the United States!
The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB) is working on launching what it hopes to be a regular event in Pyeongtaek, with an inaugural lecture on early American gold mining in Korea. The event was intended originally for tonight but has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
Going to Seoul for an evening lecture is not an option for many members and friends of the RASKB who have now been relocated from Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to the distant Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. The RASKB wants to continue including those important members, as well as anyone else who lives and works in and around the new USFK headquarters post.
The history of gold mining in Korea is not well-known. Small mining operations or mining stream beds have been done in Korea since at least Goguryeo. In the ensuing centuries, mining was often outlawed since the procurement of gold was the direct and unique purview of the king. Yet stories abound of the various Chinese kingdoms exacting large sums of gold and silver from Korea as a tribute.
When Korea began opening to foreign relations in the 1880s, increased business interest followed. Among the many enterprises that exploited Korea's economic potential and customer markets, gold mining excited many investors. In 1885 an English firm tried to operate placer mining, but the results were unsatisfactory. Eleven years later, with new regulations in place by the royal government, an American, James Morse, began full-scale mining operations in Unsan in present-day North Korea. In the following few years, British, German, Italian, French, Russian and Japanese concerns received concessions from the king. Stories abound of bribery and corruption as well-placed government officials cashed in.
By 1915, the American concession and two other mines operated by American staff produced 75 percent of the gold extracted in a single year. It amounted to more than 5.5 million yen (in the Japanese currency of the time), or about $17 million. Based on the relative prices of gold, today that amount would be well over $1 billion. That's a lot of gold!
Many Americans worked the mines for various businesses, not all of them American-owned. The jobs were good, they paid well and many left Korea wealthy beyond their dreams. By the mid-1910s, the various mines employed over 50,000 Koreans, providing solid incomes to them and their families. Most observers regarded the Korean miners as highly skilled and hard-working. Huge mills were erected adjacent to the mines, representing a vast investment of capital to be able to crush the ore and extract the valuable metals. The mining companies benefited greatly from liberal laws and low rents and commissions. State forests were also decimated to provide lumber for the many different mines throughout the peninsula.
Once it is feasible to resume its schedule, RASKB will inaugurate its Pyeongtaek lecture series with a free event held at the Cafe Pascucci in the Capitolium building in Anjeong-ri. The first lecturer will be Robert Neff, a U.S. military veteran, longtime resident of Korea, historian and columnist for this newspaper. He will talk about the Korean gold rush that took place in the late 19th century in a lecture titled “Nodaji: American Gold Miners in 19th Century Korea.” His extensive collection of photographs and some early films will highlight the discussion. Visit raskb.com for more information including the location and the rescheduled date.
Steven L. Shields, a retired cleric, serves as a vice president of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (www.raskb.com).