Robbery and fraud in the Land of Morning Calm

The three Japanese banks in Jemulpo in the early 20th century. Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

By Robert Neff

One of the first bank robberies in Korea took place in Jemulpo (modern Incheon) on June 25, 1892 ― a dreadfully hot day. A young Japanese employee of the First National Bank of Japan went to the Korean Customs Office to collect the daily duties on goods being imported and exported through the port. It was a fairly substantial amount of money ― nearly 700 dollars.

As was the standard operating procedure at the time, the employee had a Korean coolie (laborer or porter) with him to carry the trunk containing the money. On this particular day, the port was busier than normal as the Japanese steamer, Owari Maru, had just arrived and a large crowd of coolies, passengers and merchants had gathered in the streets.

As the Japanese employee arrived at the bank, he noticed that the coolie and the trunk were nowhere to be seen. It was suspected that the coolie ― who had been hired before by the Japanese employee ― had planned this caper well in advance. A search ensued looking for the man and the missing money. But it isn't clear if they were ever found.

Of course, not all robberies were so obvious. In 1899, Homer Hulbert ― an American teacher who later became the editor of The Korea Review, an English-language monthly magazine published in Seoul ― returned to the United States for a short time. Prior to his departure, Hulbert gave one of his Korean employees a small check for 8 yen.

Once Hulbert was safely gone, the Korean employee carefully added two zeros to the check. When he took it to the bank and tried to cash it, the teller became suspicious and the Korean police were summoned and the man was arrested.

At his trial, the forger claimed that he had a 10-year contract with Hulbert and that he was not trying to defraud his employer, but was merely anxious to draw the whole amount at once. Surprisingly, “the explanation was so plausible that the case was forthwith dismissed.”

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.