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Tue, October 3, 2023 | 06:59

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

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

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'

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

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

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

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

In the late 19th century, before the construction of the railroad, travel between Jemulpo (modern Incheon) and Seoul was either an arduous overland journey by foot, rickshaw, palanquin or cantankerous pony - all were slow and uncomfortable - or by a handful of small steam-powered riverboats. One might assume the riverboats were more comfortable and quicker, but those assumpti...

2022-08-13 11:00

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

The fate of Sontag Hotel

The fate of Sontag Hotel

When Marie Antoinette Sontag returned to Korea sometime in late 1906 or early 1907, she found Seoul had greatly changed. The foreign legations were now mere consulates and Japan dominated Korean politics and business opportunities - most of the Westerners employed by the Korean government were replaced with Japanese. Yet, Sontag managed to return to her former position in the...

2022-08-07 08:57

Sontag Hotel - 'consultation center for diplomatic conspiracies'

Sontag Hotel - 'consultation center for diplomatic conspiracies'

One of the greatest obstacles for Westerners visiting Seoul prior to 1900 was a lack of accommodations. With no suitable hotels, visitors were forced to impose themselves upon friends or family or throw themselves upon the mercy of foreign residents of the city or even their legations and consulates. However, in 1900, things began to change.

2022-08-06 11:02

Marie Antoinette Sontag: “The uncrowned empress of Korea”

Marie Antoinette Sontag: “The uncrowned empress of Korea”

According to a Korean almanac published in 1895, in the twelfth month of the lunar year (January 16 - February 14, 1896): “The wild goose stands with its face to the north and the magpie builds for itself a nest shelter. The crow of the pheasant is heard on the hillside; hens feed on milk and the lake's stomach becomes solid.”

2022-07-31 08:42

Russians arrive in Korea in 1885

Russians arrive in Korea in 1885

The Russian cruiser Razboinik, with its crew of eight officers and 105 sailors, steamed into the harbor of Jemulpo (modern Incheon) on Oct. 3, 1885. The harbor was quite crowded with Chinese, Japanese, British and American warships - many of them having just arrived - and an English steamship, its crew was busily engaged in unloading the Joseon government's newly purchased mi...

2022-07-24 09:15

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