RAS Korea looks back on earliest filmed images of Korea

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Tue, September 26, 2023 | 08:09

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RAS Korea looks back on earliest filmed images of Korea

Posted : 2022-07-05 18:42

Updated : 2022-07-07 00:08

American traveler Burton Holmes, middle, records film footage in Seoul in May 1901. / Courtesy of Suk Ji-hoon

By Jon Dunbar

Not long after the invention of moving pictures in the late 19th century, Western filmmakers began turning their lenses on other countries, recording their own impressions of foreign cultures and "othering" the people they recorded.

The oldest extant video footage shot in Korea dates to May 1901, filmed by American traveler Burton Holmes. Those who are curious to see it can attend a lecture next week at Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea by Suk Ji-hoon.

Suk, a Ph.D. student of Korean modern history at Yonsei University, will screen clips of film footage taken in Korea between 1901 and 1945, including one film that has not been shown publicly since 1917. Most of the footage was shot by non-Koreans.

"They are both fascinating and appalling all at the same time," Suk told The Korea Times. "I wouldn't call them 'unfair' representations per se, but these images ― such as "horsehair hat and washerwomen" ― became so 'synonymous' with Korea and Korean culture. Once these images initially became 'stereotypical,' most of the filmmakers (be it Japanese or Westerners) just wanted to capture what they wanted to see."

Frames from early film footage shot in Seoul / Courtesy of Suk Ji-hoon

He mentioned how filmmakers kept using the same footage of Korea over and over, sometimes decades after initially recording, which is "indicative of their thoughts of Korea being 'stuck' to this old/traditional way of life," according to him.

"My argument is that most Westerners and the Japanese wanted to see Korea as this primordial country that would change little over the course of time," he said.

An added complication to the reliance on this sort of footage, he says, is that even today Koreans use such images to try to depict, describe or recreate their past.

"If one tries to watch Korean modern TV 'history' dramas, you will see that almost all Joseon-era men wear gat (horsehair hat)," he said. "That is definitely not historically accurate ― as Koreans had hundreds of types of hats and headwear ― but that is what we have been led to believe because of these films and photographs that accentuated their 'Korean-specific' nature or even "peculiarities."

Suk lectured previously for RAS Korea in 2018, speaking on Korea's earliest recorded music, during which he demonstrated vintage music recording and listening equipment. He also has led many walking tours for the organization over the years, and is known for his thoroughness.

Suk's primary research focuses on the role of modern media, such as film footage and audio recordings, in the creation of the sense of cultural Koreanness in the 20th century. He has worked with various museums and archives around the world, including The Independence Hall Museum of Korea, The National Archives of Korea, The National Library of Korea, The Korean Film Archive, The National Gugak Center, U.S. Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Suk Ji-hoon / Courtesy of Suk Ji-hoon

With pandemic social distancing restrictions being lifted, RAS Korea is returning to in-person events. This lecture will be held starting at 7:30 p.m. July 12 in a hybrid format, with guests invited to the RAS Korea office on Jongno 5ga, while it will also be streamed on Zoom for those unable to attend in person. Visit raskb.com for more information.

jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr