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Wed, January 26, 2022 | 09:11

Blind faith

In the latter part of the 1890s, the authorities in Seoul began a campaign to curtail or even eliminate the activities of mudangs (shamans) within the city and its vicinity. Shamanism was viewed by many Korean progressives (and, of course, Christians) as a relic from the past and a means for some to exploit the superstitious beliefs of the common people to fill their own pock...

2021-06-20 09:12

Curfew allows nighttime to belong to the blind

At night, in the 1880s, the streets of Seoul belonged to women. Men, with very few exceptions, were confined indoors by a curfew which allowed women to roam the streets relatively safe from the view of their male counterparts. (Relatively safe, because, if we are to believe the accounts, the true monarchs of the night - tigers and leopards - sometimes prowled the streets.)

2021-06-19 09:39

Seoul & Jemulpo Railroad: The First Railroad of Korea

In the 19th century, railroads and their steam locomotives were viewed as a sign of modernization - vehicles of the industrial revolution. Japan built its first railroad in 1872 and by 1893 was manufacturing its own steam engines. In China, the first railroad was built in 1876, but was promptly dismantled the following year due to the company's failure to secure government ap...

2021-06-13 08:22

Smith F. Philips, the topknot shooter

Working on the railroad can be extremely hard and dangerous work; accidents are frequent and often fatal. While the railroad from Seoul to Jemulpo (modern-day Incheon) was being built in the late 1890s, there were several accidents - including explosions - that cost the unwary and clumsy their lives. However, not all dangers the Korean railway construction workers faced were ...

2021-06-12 09:59

Muggings in the Land of Morning Calm

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, foreigners traveling about Korean streets, even in darkness, were fairly safe from crime. There were occasional scuffles and murders, but these were generally incidents in which both the perpetrators and victims were foreigners. However, there were some exceptions - especially when it came to lesser crimes like muggings.

2021-06-07 22:55

19th century Hakodate and the doomed voyage of the Remi: Part 3

On the evening of April 25, 1860, the steamship Remi - aided by fog and inaccurate charts - was wrecked upon submerged rocks near a small island off the coast of Jeolla Province. Captain Paul A. Laen and all but one of his 25 crew members and all of his 25 Chinese passengers managed to make their way safely ashore where they were well treated by their Korean rescuers. The Kor...

2021-06-06 18:31

Imperial Prince Yeong's childhood, part 2: Mischief with Harry Underwood

After several weeks of anxiousness, young Imperial Prince Yeong managed to recover - without serious disfigurement or blindness - from the visit of The Guest. On June 4, the palace gates were opened once again.

2021-05-30 09:10

Imperial Prince Yeong's childhood, part 1: Small pox sorcery

Many people are fascinated with royal families. They are surrounded with pomp, elegance, wealth, travel and, more often than not, scandal. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the American community in Seoul also dabbled in a bit of royalty-watching.

2021-05-29 09:25

19th century Hakodate and the doomed voyage of the Remi: Part 2

Throughout the day of April 10, 1860, the two steamships, Remi and Japanese, sailed along the Japanese coast but as darkness began to fall, the ships went their separate ways. Over the next two weeks, the voyage was relatively uneventful. On April 24, the steamship (Remi) passed Tsushima and entered into the strait dividing the Korean peninsula from Japan.

2021-05-24 08:52

19th century Hakodate and the doomed voyage of the Remi: Part 3

19th century Hakodate and the doomed voyage of the Remi: Part 1

In the spring of 1860, Hakodate - one of Japan's far northern ports - was bustling with change. It the past it was nothing more than “a poor insignificant fishing village,” but in 1855 (after the Perry expedition) it was designated as a port in which whalers could put in for provisions (potatoes - which were grown in great abundance - as well as onions, tomatoes, salmon, chic...

2021-05-22 07:37

19th century Hakodate and the doomed voyage of the Remi: Part 3

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