Recycling old tin cans in Joseon

A water carrier with his heavy wooden buckets in the early 20th century. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

"The introduction of kerosene," according to John Jordan, the British consul in Seoul, "has worked a veritable revolution in village life in [Korea, with almost] every cottage possessing [a] Japanese lamp."

But it wasn't just the villagers. There were calls from civic leaders and editorials in The Independent (a newspaper published in Seoul) beseeching the residents of Seoul ― foreign and Korean ― to place lanterns in front of their homes so as to light the streets at night.

In January 1898, Horace N. Allen, the American Minister to Korea, issued a circular to the American community in which he wrote:

"The Governor of Seoul has compelled the native residents of the city to light up the fronts of their houses at night, and he is desirous that you should do the same. This improvement is enjoyed by us and we should be willing to do our share, especially so as we at present pay no taxes. I request each American property holder to place a kerosene lantern at the front gate of his or her house and keep a light therein, during the night when there is no moon!"

Shortly after the circular was issued, it became a requirement. Jordan observed:

"[Seoul] is now lighted with kerosene lamps, which the house-holders are obliged to erect in front of their houses, and though the lamp posts are of all sorts and sizes, the improvement reflects great credit upon the city authorities."

With kerosene so readily available, some Korean households began to use kerosene heaters or stoves. According to Allen, "These seem to appeal to the Koreans, as they are neat and handy and furnish light as well as heat."

Water carriers filling their tins during the winter. Robert Neff Collection

Of course, kerosene was not cheap. Judging from the lists published from 1896-1898, the average cost of a case of Standard Oil kerosene was about $2.90 ― a case consisted of two five-gallon (19 liter) tin cans. When the Han River froze over during the winter and the small steamboats and junks running between Jemulpo (modern Incheon) and Seoul ceased to operate, kerosene prices rose to about $3.20 a case. Of course, as mentioned in the previous article, there were other choices ― usually 20 to 35 cents cheaper than the American kerosene ― but they tended to prove unsatisfactory.

One British official noted that "the importation of kerosene oil from the United States has given rise to a tin industry [in Korea], which was not previously in existence; the tins in which the oil imported furnishing the material for the tinsmiths."

In 1894, the commissioner of customs at Fusan (modern Busan) speculated that kerosene would not become popular in the rural parts of the country because it was so difficult to find lamps. Apparently, in the southern provinces, the lamps were brought in from Japan but were poorly packed and often arrived in the small villages broken and useless. Despite his prophecy, kerosene did flourish ― as mentioned earlier ― because of the resourcefulness of the consumers. One British diplomat explained that Koreans "have very primitive ideas on the subject of artificial light and are content to use a tiny lamp made out of old kerosene tins, without any glass at all."

It may have been "primitive" to the British diplomat, but Allen seems to have been somewhat impressed with how ingenious and frugally the Korean population dealt with the influx of tin cans.

A water carrier in the summer. Robert Neff Collection

The ubiquitous water-carriers quickly adopted the large cans. The old wooden buckets were surely much heavier and more expensive than the light and sturdy tins. Even Allen used kerosene tins ― carefully cleaned, of course ― to freeze large amounts of ice during the winter so that he could keep his icehouse filled during the oppressive summers.

Some houses were roofed with these flattened tins. Chimneys were manufactured by cutting off the ends of the tins and soldering them together ― I am assuming these were the smaller round cans of kerosene. The tins and cans were also used to make cooking and household utensils, toys for children, candlestick holders, lamps (as mentioned above) and ornaments. Apparently, Allen's Chinese cook also used the tins to make a camp stove:

"A Chinese cook, with his wonderful native ingenuity, will plaster the inside of one such tin with mud, leaving a vent connecting with a fire hole below, and on this improvised range he will prepare a creditable course dinner off in the country wilds."

According to Allen, the empty kerosene tins had become an integral part of Korean society and were often negotiated into the agreements Korean employees had with their foreign employees ― the Korean employee was allowed to keep all of the cans.

Considering the pollution problems we are now facing in our modern world, it is a shame more people in the past did not adopt such "primitive ideas" of recycling and repurposing packaging.

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