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Tue, June 2, 2020 | 14:52

Plenty of hanky panky: Hippos of Seoul zoo popular, profitable

Plenty of hanky panky: Hippos of Seoul zoo popular, profitable

In the early 1910s, the zoo at Changgyeong - a former palace in Seoul - was rapidly gaining popularity with the public. Ticket sales were steadily increasing but the exhibits were rather meager and less than exotic. The people wanted to see something different and so the authorities obliged.

2020-05-31 10:54

Elephants and airplanes in early 20th century Korea

Elephants and airplanes in early 20th century Korea

American aviator James “Bud” Mars was one of those dashing men in the early 1910s who the media - and public - loved. He was brave - said to be the most daring aviator in the United States - and he had ambition. He also had an imagination.

2020-05-30 10:38

Treasures along the river - evil lurks within

Treasures along the river - evil lurks within

In the summer of 1928, evil lurked within the Han River and it was taking its toll on the crowds that flocked to its banks to escape the heat. In July, the DongA Ilbo reported: “[The] Han River in the summer is the only place where the citizens of Seoul can avoid the scorching heat. Riding in their boats or swimming, it seems as if the Han River is their only paradise. Howeve...

2020-05-24 09:50

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Bukhansan in 1884 - part three

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Bukhansan in 1884 - part three

In September 1884, Ensign George C. Foulk, a naval officer attached to the American Legation in Seoul, traveled to the Bukhan Mountain Fortress. He was somewhat impressed with the fortification (although he seems to have been more impressed with himself, being the first foreigner to visit the site) and described it in some detail in a report to the State Department and in a l...

2020-05-23 09:51

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Bukhansan in 1884 - part two

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Bukhansan in 1884 - part two

“Passing through the gate,” wrote Foulk, “I was amazed at the view before me. This was a great mountain walled ravine with abrupt perpendicular sides, a full thousand feet deep. The whole ravine seemed [to be] encircled by the mountain ring of 2,000 feet high on which ran the heavy wall through which I had passed; at points on the lofty wall in front which would have to be br...

2020-05-17 09:18

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Bukhansan in 1884 - part one

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Bukhansan in 1884 - part one

On September 22, 1884, George C. Foulk, an American Navy ensign temporarily assigned to the American legation in Seoul, set out to visit Songdo (modern Gaeseong in North Korea). He was also invited to visit the mountain fortification of Bukhan - just outside of Seoul - that, according to Foulk, no foreigner had ever been permitted to visit.

2020-05-16 10:25

Beholding Queen Min

Beholding Queen Min

The great Moby Dick of Korean photographs is, undoubtedly, a picture of Queen Min (Empress Myeongseong). Over the years, there have been many alleged photographs presented by various experts and collectors but all have been dismissed.

2020-05-10 10:22

Korea's first shutterbugs: Camera shy in the 1880s

Korea's first shutterbugs: Camera shy in the 1880s

Kim Yong-won had a vision. Apparently, during his travels to Japan in 1876, he became infatuated with cameras. This eventually led him to establish the first Korean photography studio in Seoul in late 1883. He was assisted by two Japanese photographers: Honda Shunosuke and possibly Kameya Teijiro.

2020-05-09 13:48

Beer and fried chicken: Fred Dustin and American chicks in Korea

Beer and fried chicken: Fred Dustin and American chicks in Korea

Arguably, chimaek - fried chicken and beer - is one of the most popular features of the weekend (and, for many, weekdays) in Korea. Crispy fried chicken washed down by an icy-cold beer are about as close to heaven as some of us (including me) will probably ever get. But the popularity of fried chicken is relatively new.

2020-05-03 09:33

Four-legged chickens and sticks of eggs

Four-legged chickens and sticks of eggs

In the summer of 1898, the streets of Seoul were filled with excited whispers of a strange oddity that had recently hatched - a chicken. According to the local papers, many citizens were concerned about the discovery of a chicken with four legs and sixteen feet. Some saw it as “an auspicious omen” while others saw it a possible “portent of a dark and stormy day.”

2020-05-02 11:01

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