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Sun, September 25, 2022 | 14:18

A tiger tale on the road to Wonsan

In the past, tigers reigned in Korea - perhaps the only exception being Jeju Island (legends claim Jeju was spared from tiger infestation due to the island only have 99 peaks) - and could be found in even the most unexpected places, including the bedroom.

2022-09-18 15:50

Tigers in Wonsan

Tigers in Wonsan

In May 1880, the Korean port of Wonsan opened to Japanese trade and almost immediately the first tales of tiger encounters began to appear in Japanese newspapers. A Japanese resident in that port described - almost poetically - one of these early encounters.

2022-09-17 10:06

A tiger tale on the road to Wonsan

The perfect gift for the holiday

“Chuseok” (a Korean harvest festival and national holiday) is once again upon us. The markets are full of people rushing to buy last minute gifts before stoically braving traffic snarls, crowded buses, trains and planes to visit their hometowns where, if they are not married, face the ever-increasing demands to know when they will find a mate and have children.

2022-09-11 10:13

Where was Chuseok in the past?

“Chuseok” is, undoubtedly, one of the most important holidays in Korea. Families gather together, repair and tidy ancestors' graves, celebrate with lots of good food and drink, play games and, in the way only good friends and family are able to, banter throughout the three-day holiday.

2022-09-10 11:42

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 2

On Feb. 28, 1880, the American merchant vessel St. Charles sailed into Hiogo (Kobe) Harbor with a small load of miscellaneous goods and 40,000 cases of kerosene from New York. The ship was relatively new (only 11 years old) and in good repair - having been newly coppered for the voyage and equipped with new sails. After such a long voyage, one can imagine Captain E.V. Gates a...

2022-09-04 09:44

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 1

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 1

Sometimes, while following the histories of Westerners residing in Korea in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is easy to go down a rabbit hole. My rabbit hole this week was Kobe, Japan. In 1880, Kobe (commonly referred to as Hiogo) was a bustling Japanese port city of more than 200,000 residents. It had a thriving foreign community of about 875 people. The largest gr...

2022-09-03 11:00

Encounters with Kobe in early 1880s: Part 2

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 2

In 1890, an unnamed Westerner provided an account of his experience in Korea in the month or two following the Imo Incident of 1882. According to him, he was a junior officer aboard one of the Japanese steamships that was used to transport Japanese soldiers to Korea. While awaiting orders from headquarters, he and the rest of the crew had a lot of free time which “hung rather...

2022-08-28 13:38

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 1

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 1

The summer of 1882 brought many changes to Korea, including the establishment of treaties with the West, but it did not bring the anticipated rains. Wells and streams dried up and, without water, the rice crops died in the fields. Rice prices doubled, then tripled. Already burdened with the Korean government's heavy taxes, many people fled their farms and villages for the sur...

2022-08-28 00:51

Western travelers to Seoul in 1882: Part 2

Korean archery - 'A fundamental aspect of refinement'

It has been said that the bow was once the most powerful Korean weapon in combat until the early 17th century when matchlock rifles appeared on the peninsula. However, archery remained an integral part of Korean society and it was, according to Shin Myung-ho, the author of Joseon Royal Court Culture, “a fundamental aspect of refinement.”

2022-08-21 09:10

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 2

After the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), the fairly lucrative Han River steamboat business between Jemulpo (modern Incheon) and Seoul remained firmly and uncontested in the hands of Japanese enterprises, the primary one being the Shoji River Steamer Company

2022-08-14 13:24

Traveling on the Han River in the 19th Century: Part 1

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