Auspicious beginnings for RASKB's annual Garden Party

The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB) Garden Party is held at Habib House, the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Jeong-dong, central Seoul, in June 2015. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Steven L. Shields

On May 2, 1959, a tea party for members of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB) was held at Changdeok Palace, in the private garden of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager of Korea. Popularly known by expatriates as Queen Yun, she hosted several events for members of the RASKB until her death in 1966.

Not only did Her Majesty welcome members into her private residence, but she also arranged for special tours of the palace and gardens, as well as Jongmyo, the royal ancestral shrine. Those places were closed to the public in those days and remained inaccessible for many years. The queen also organized concerts of traditional court music, exhibitions of art and other cultural events for the RASKB.

Queen Yun was the widow of the last emperor of Korea, Emperor Sunjong. He died in 1926, having served as emperor from 1907 until 1910 when the Japanese forced his abdication. Until his death, he and the queen lived in Changdeok Palace as prisoners of the Japanese, where they were allowed few freedoms. Queen Yun continued to live in the palace, with her ladies-in-waiting, having had no children. Staying there during the 1950 invasion by the communists, it is said a military squad invaded the palace, but withdrew when the queen rebuked them. As Seoul became devastated by the war, she was forced to retreat to Busan. The stories say she went on foot.

The Garden Party on May 21, 1960, was held at the Chilgung ancestral shrine. No further details are given, but the shrine is where the ancestral tablets of seven royal concubines are enshrined. It is located inside the grounds of the presidential office in Seoul, and is accessible today only through a special tour of Cheong Wa Dae.

The British ambassador hosted, for the first time, one of two garden parties in 1962. The event was held at the residence in Jeong-dong on May 26. The second party was something spectacular. It was held in October at Gyeonghoeru in Gyeongbok Palace. That was not the only time RASKB members were invited to that place. Then-President Yun Po-sun hosted a candlelit dinner there, and also hosted the society at the presidential mansion Gyeongmudae (later renamed, by President Yun, as Cheong Wa Dae).

The American ambassador hosted his first garden party held at the official residence in Jeong-dong on May 23, 1964. The American residence and the British residence often hosted council meetings and general meetings of the RASKB from the beginning of the organization. Those first meetings, though, were often small gatherings of a handful of society members, and a living room or conference room would have held the group.

Traditional alcohol maker Julia Mellor, left, poses with Choe Chong-dae, president of Dae-kwang International Co. and a guest columnist of The Korea Times, at last year's Garden Party held by the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB) at the British ambassador's residence in Jeong-dong, central Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Over the decades, the RASKB annual garden party has become a much-awaited event, serving as an informal anniversary for the 119-year-old organization and a release party for the latest Transactions" journal, first printed in 1900 and now on volume 93.

The party is exclusive to members and selected guests, but membership is open to all. Both the British and American ambassadors graciously continue to be regular hosts of the party, but occasionally other settings and other ambassadors have provided their official residences for the gathering.

The 2019 annual RASKB Garden Party will be held on June 1 at the American Ambassador's residence.

Steven L. Shields, a retired cleric, serves as a vice president of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (www.raskb.com) and is a columnist for The Korea Times.

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