Emperor Gojong's meeting with an observant British sailor

The British consul heads to the Korean palace in the 1890s. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

On April 10, 1901, the British representative in Korea presented the Order of the Grand Commander of the Indian Empire to Emperor Gojong. The Korea Review ― an English-language magazine published in Seoul ― declared in a very short article that the document accompanying the decoration was one of the last signed by the late Queen Victoria with her own hand.

For such an amazing honor, it seems somewhat disappointing the Korea Review deigned to celebrate it with such a short article. Fortunately, soldiers and sailors love to complain and moan and often lack the tact of their diplomatic counterparts.

A British sailor ― his identity is not given ― accompanied his captain along with three other officers to Seoul in order to confer the award, which he described as "a somewhat magnificent order, badge, and collar, evidently instituted to a great extent as suitable for dusky potentates, &c." All arrangements had been made for the award to be bestowed upon the emperor but at the last moment the ceremony was postponed by a day.

The following day, the five sailors ― in their dress uniforms ― proceeded from the British consulate to the palace in chairs borne by six coolies. A large Korean military guard preceded them and they were accompanied by two Korean officers who rode alongside them in their own chairs.

According to our witness:

"The palace appeared to me to be a collection of low rambling buildings, commanded by walls and large gates, all very Chinese style of architecture. Soldiers guard all entrances, and everybody entering is greeted at once by shrill whistles, repeated at different portions of the palace, to announce to the Emperor and his attendants a stranger on the scene. The fear of assassination is ever with this monarch. It is not so very long ago that his Queen was cut down within the palace walls, and he takes the utmost precautions and is guarded in every way…. We duly passed the guards, were announced by the whistles, and then, stopping at a fairly large building, were received on the steps of it by the Minister of the Household, to whom we were presented by our Consul."

Afterwards they were led into a large reception room that "was furnished according to supposed Western ideas." His criticism is especially telling as Antoinette Sontag seems to have been responsible for the selection of furniture and cuisine.

Deoksu Palace circa 1900s Robert Neff Collection

According to our sailor:

"It rather gave me the idea of a cheap boarding house or something of the kind, carpeted with bright flaring carpet, the windows hung with the ordinary net or imitation lace curtains common in England. A heavy glass chandelier hung from the ceiling over a small table covered by a red cloth. Many plush-upholstered chairs were arranged round the room, and beyond a small clock and a screen of [Korean] work (the only decent thing in the room by the way), which screened off a corner of the room devoted to a small table of refreshments, and one or two attendants, there was no other furniture."

It was here that they met the Korean courtiers, "dressed in dark green gowns and wearing the horsehair netted head-dress of the country." The sailor seems to have found some interest in the accessories of the uniforms ― "buttons worn behind the ears, either made of jade or gold, and a very comical belt, many sizes too large for them, of metal and stone, stiff as a barrel hoop, and evidently slug to their gowns somehow, for it is useless as a belt."

It is interesting to note that instead of coffee (which the Americans were generally provided) they were offered "tea (European fashion, milk and sugar) and cigars and cigarettes and biscuits."

Like any good military man, our commentator was annoyed with the delay:

"We had a long wait here, as, with the procrastination peculiar to Eastern Courts, no arrangements had been made by the Korean authorities, no details of procedure had been demanded, and, beyond the bare day being fixed, they had done nothing, despite vigorous efforts on the part of our Consul, to get everything arranged beforehand. It took quite an hour to arrange the preliminaries of our being presented, some slight flaw in a Chinese character in the document announcing investiture had to be gone into, then it had to be arranged that the order and insignia should be presented to, and not placed on, his Majesty ― as his sacred person cannot be touched ― the method of wearing the sash and collar had to be shown, and so on ad lib. until we got very tired indeed."

An overview of Deoksu Palace in the 1900s Robert Neff Collection

Finally the matters were arranged and they were led to a large pavilion with an open front where the emperor, (crown prince to his left) received them. One by one, they were introduced to the emperor who smiled at them and repeated their names. Our commentator apparently was easily distracted as evidenced by his description of the furnishings of the pavilion.

"The room in which we were received was particularly barnlike, carpeted similarly to the reception room, the table similarly draped with a flaring cloth. Other furniture was a very large screen behind the Emperor and Crown Prince, near whom stood two chairs, though they stood the whole time, and besides this there was nothing else except two large stoves. At the back of the room were two latticed doors with oil-papered windows, in default of glass ones, in them. These had imperfect fastenings, and banged once or twice during the audience without anybody taking much notice. At each side of the room in which we were there were evidently other rooms separated by partitions of wood and oiled paper, and in the left-hand one of these evidently the ladies of the harem were confined, for through the fairly large chinks of the partition one could distinctly see the dark-eyed beauties (?) peeping. They did not seem to mind being seen at all. Their raiment, as far as we could see, was fairly gorgeous, or, at any rate, brightly colored."

However, his great eye for detail seems somewhat lacking when he described the emperor as being a stout little man who appeared "somewhat unhealthy looking." He went on to add the emperor did "not appear to look very clever" despite wearing long yellow silk robes embroidered with dragons.

As for the crown prince ― he was described as being bigger than his father, "with a heavy face, dark eyes, and lowering eyebrows, the eyes very narrow, and far crueler than those of his father."

The British consul then stepped forward to proceed with the investiture, according to our brash British sailor, with the consul "merely handing the cases containing the order, sash, and badge, and the gold collar, instead of putting them on the Emperor. Both Emperor and Crown Prince appeared to greatly admire the decorations. We were asked to go out while the Emperor arrayed himself in his new finery, so out we went, and waited on the veranda while the sash was put on. Then we were recalled to be beamed on by his Highness, with the order on his breast, and the sash properly placed."

Afterwards some minor pleasantries were exchanged between the consul and the Korean monarch, during which time the sailors were escorted to another room where they enjoyed sweet champagne and cigarettes.

Shortly afterwards they returned to the British Legation where they changed into their normal uniforms and proceeded back to their ship at Jemulpo (modern Incheon). In closing, the sailor wrote, thus "ended my introduction to the Emperor of Korea."

I am guessing that once his chain-of-command became aware of his delightful tale to the press, he was not invited to many other diplomatic functions.

My appreciation to Diane Nars for her invaluable assistance.

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