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Thu, August 22, 2019 | 16:31

Opium addiction in Korea's past

In 1892, rumors began to spread that opium was becoming a problem in Korea - especially along the Chinese border. Many people - who probably should have known better - played down the allegation insisting that it was nothing but a local (border area) problem.

2019-08-18 09:46

What some people would do for wood

The life of a wood merchant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was not easy. Gathering wood was a dangerous task; timber could only be gathered in certain areas and wild animals and reptiles - snakes, boars, wolves, leopards and, especially tigers - were always present.

2019-08-17 07:49

Captain Alexander MacLean - The real Sea Wolf (Part 4)

Throughout late July, 1893, newspapers speculated as to the veracity of the attack on the American warship by the renegade poacher, Captain MacLean. It didn't take long before the story was pronounced a hoax. The person attributed with reporting the attack, denied he had done so - claiming that several different stories had been jumbled up into one fictitious account.

2019-08-11 09:58

Captain Alexander MacLean - The real Sea Wolf (Part 3)

Ever since his release from Vladivostok, Captain Alexander MacLean dreamed of the day he could avenge the illegal confiscation of his sealing schooner by the Russian authorities. The remains of the American flag ripped down and torn to pieces by the Russian boarding crew, was displayed at the head of his bed in San Francisco - an inspirational reminder.

2019-08-10 09:07

Russians try to tame 'Sea Wolf' Captain Alexander MacLean (Part 2)

After being caught almost red-handed poaching seals from a Russian island, Captain MacLean was summoned, along with most of his crew, to appear aboard the Russian warship Alert. This he complied with, but once aboard the Russian warship, a fight broke out and eventually the Americans were overpowered.

2019-08-04 09:37

The real Sea Wolf: Captain Alexander MacLean (Part 1)

The real Sea Wolf: Captain Alexander MacLean (Part 1)

Many people are aware that Jack London spent time in Korea as a war correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). His photographs and newspaper articles give us a close-up look at Korea during this turbulent period.

2019-08-03 09:18

Russians try to tame 'Sea Wolf' Captain Alexander MacLean (Part 2)

Mangwonjeong and praying for rain

One of my favorite sanctuaries in Seoul from the summer heat is Mangwonjeong. It is a beautiful pavilion nestled along the Han River that enjoys cool breezes from the river, shade from the tall trees and relative solitude from the teeming masses - despite the highway running directly in front of it. It is also easily accessible by bike.

2019-07-28 09:21

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (Part 5)

The violent typhoon that claimed the Bianca Pertica also claimed at least three other ships in the vicinity of Jeju Island - two Japanese junks and the Barbara Taylor, a 352-ton British schooner with a crew of 12. The schooner, bound for Vladivostok with a cargo of tea from Shanghai, had its sails blown away by the typhoon on September 20, 1878.

2019-07-27 07:17

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (Part 4)

On September 20, 1878, the Bianca Pertica, an Italian barque, was destroyed in a powerful typhoon. Only five men managed to get into a lifeboat but over the next couple of days, one by one, they began to die.

2019-07-21 15:04

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (Part 3)

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (Part 3)

For the five survivors of the Bianca Pertica, the lifeboat they managed to clamber into was nothing but a tenuous sanctuary. The wind howled around them, driving the rain like daggers into their exposed flesh and the towering waves crashed over and over on the small boat, threatening to sink it.

2019-07-20 09:17

Giuseppe Santori: An Italian castaway on Jeju (Part 4)

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