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Sat, June 3, 2023 | 07:24

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

In the late 19th century, the people of Gaeseong were somewhat unlike the residents of other parts of the peninsula. When John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, visited the city in early July 1884, he noted that the people of Gaeseong dressed somewhat differently from the people in Seoul.

2023-05-27 15:52

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul, may have been one of the earliest Western pathfinders between Seoul and two former Korean capitals (Gaeseong and Pyongyang) but his narrative was often lacking. This is extremely frustrating as he was so meticulous with his annotations of material collected wh...

2023-05-21 09:15

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 2: Goyang and Beyond

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 2: Goyang and Beyond

Seoul, in the summer of 1884, was filled with rivalries among the small handful of young Western men. Each of these men (naval officers, diplomats and anthropological collectors) sought to be the “first” to visit or witness various locations and events on the Korean Peninsula. John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the l...

2023-05-20 12:21

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 1: Collecting

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 1: Collecting

In the summer of 1884, there were a handful of Westerners exploring the Korean peninsula - one of them was John Baptiste Bernadou, a 24-year-old ensign in the United States Navy temporarily assigned to the legation in Seoul.

2023-05-13 10:15

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 4 - Gaeseong's passive defiance

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 3: Gaeseong, the old capital

Bernadou's travels in Korea in 1884 Part 2: Goyang and Beyond

Powdered milk and ladies' shoes

Powdered milk and ladies' shoes

Seoul is a vibrant, never-sleeping, energetic city of museums, palaces, shopping centers, restaurants and contemporary culture hubs that beckons tourists (of all ages) from around the world. Traffic jams of buses, taxis and cars try even the most patient while subways - packed during the rush hour - rush commuters to and fro. The Seoul of the present is not the Seoul of seven...

2023-05-07 13:05

A child's tale of lost treasure

A child's tale of lost treasure

Several years ago, a popular spot for bicyclists to stop on the south side of the Han River was just under Haengju Bridge. Here the large number of riders could replenish their energy with food and drink from the nearby convenience store; air up their tires; and chat and smoke (for some reason a lot of cyclists seem to smoke) while looking out at the beauty of the river. Many...

2023-05-06 13:35

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Tooth and stone

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Tooth and stone

Even within the bustling confines of Seoul, history and natural beauty are easily accessible to those who are willing to go off the beaten path. One such place is Suseongdong Valley - to the west of Gyeongbok Palace. This region has long been a favorite hiking spot for foreign visitors to Seoul such as Arnold Henry Savage Landor, an English artist and writer who visited the v...

2023-04-30 09:59

Choheon - The Wheel of Class

Choheon - The Wheel of Class

Spring is in the air and the bike lanes along the Han River are filled with enthusiastic riders (many of them - judging from their behavior - are still learning to ride), wandering pedestrians who are more concerned with taking a selfie than staying in their designated lanes and electric scooters whose daredevil drivers seem to have watched too many action movies. Bicycle rid...

2023-04-29 13:20

The writing on the wall

The writing on the wall

In the past (late 19th and early 20th centuries), Western visitors often described the homes of average Korean citizens as dingy, rough and unappealing. They were devoid of gardens, decorations and even paint.

2023-04-23 15:23

Yongsan History Museum - A Window into the Past

Yongsan History Museum - A Window into the Past

It is no secret that Seoul is filled with coffee shops; they are everywhere and often right next to one another. They are so common that one barely notices them. Surprisingly, Seoul also has a large number of museums, which - like the coffee shop - are often passed by unnoticed.

2023-04-22 10:00

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