The Jemulpo Centenarian

Lee Choon-gwang circa 1910. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

Lee Choon-gwang was a simple man but one blessed with longevity and good health. He was born on Gangwha Island in about 1804 and lived a relatively quiet and unremarkable life.

At the relatively late age of 36, he married a 16-year-old girl (unfortunately we know little about her ― not even her name) and they "led an easy life by engaging in agriculture as tenant [farmers]."

Although their marriage was probably an arranged one, they genuinely seemed to love one another but ― much to their regret ― were never blessed with children. In fact, their respective families were apparently quite small and one can imagine they lived a relatively lonely life ― depending only upon themselves.

As the years passed, they lost all of their handful of relatives ― presumably to accidents, disease or old age. Lee and his wife, however, remained healthy ― never experiencing, according to Lee, any serious illnesses or injuries. By the late 1880s, they were all alone and the "easy life" they had enjoyed in their youth was gone.

Sometime in the 1890s they moved to Manseok-dong near Jemulpo, modern-day Incheon, where they managed to eke out a living by gathering edible shellfish from the muddy flats. Their hard work earned them less than 10 sen (about 5 American cents) daily.

It was a rough life and it took its toll. By the early 1900s, Lee's wife was toothless but still possessed excellent vision and was "able to do sewing without the help of spectacles." Lee went deaf around the age of 100 but was still physically fit enough to dig for shellfish and then haul his catch to the market where he sold it. Both were proudly able "to walk upwards of ten miles (16 kilometers) a day without the aid of sticks."

Lee was extremely fond of smoking and alcohol. He was known to be a great drinker ― having started at the age of 20 ― and was able to drink "ten bowlfuls of strong Korean wine in a day when funds permit … but that pleasure rarely [came] to him, as he [was] so poor."

Change came in 1910. In January and May, comets lit up the night skies and many feared the world would end. Lee, however, paid little attention to these rumors (probably because he was deaf). He was no stranger to these astronomical phenomena, having witnessed Halley's Comet back in 1835. Even when Korea lost its independence later in 1910, it had little impact on his life.

However, his life changed in November, when the Keijo Nippo ― a newspaper published in Korea ― printed a short article about him and generated a good deal of attention to the couple's plight. Nearly 80 yen (40 dollars) was collected and entrusted to the village leader to provide the couple a monthly allowance. A Japanese photographer living in Jemulpo made a postcard of Lee and sold each card for 3 sen ― the profits were also added to Lee's allowance fund.

What became of Lee and his wife is unclear ― they, like many others, faded from the pages of history. But unlike most, Lee left behind a legacy of his existence ― his photograph.

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

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