Keeping the peace in Joseon

Encounters in the street where "the low class must respect the high officials." Circa early 1900s. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

In the late 19th century, keeping the peace in the Land of the Morning Calm was no easy matter as the police officers often found themselves the victims of physical assaults by enraged citizens angered by the constantly changing laws.

Some of these laws were already part of the normal etiquette of Korean society and were readily accepted, such as a police department decree in 1897 that declared, "The low class must respect the high officials; the young must revere the old; the influential person must not ill-treat the weak and lowly; the grown persons must not impose upon the children."

Oxen laden with brushwood passing through the Independence Gate. Circa early 1900s. Robert Neff Collection

Other laws, however, seemed to go against social norms: "The practice among the people of congregating on the street corners and obstructing the public road, and talking boisterously must be strictly forbidden." Apparently, no matter how many times the police department issued decrees against "loafing" in the public streets, the general populace refused to comply.

Some laws were completely reasonable and good for the general public: "Digging of the streets for play or business must not be allowed in the city." And, "The drivers of horses and oxen must lead their animals by a short rein on the streets." Considering most of the streets in Seoul were narrow and confined; the loads on the oxen and horses huge; and the streets crowded with porters (with their own huge loads), water carriers, vendors, elderly people, children, and dogs ― it is not surprising people were occasionally trampled. Imagine if they had cell phones back then ― the streets would have been littered with trampled pedestrians who inadvertently walked into the path of a lumbering oxen while watching their favorite dramas or texting their friends.

Adding to the confusion and dangers of the oxen, horses, palanquins, rickshas, bicycles, children, vendors and stray dogs were the intoxicated pedestrians. The authorities tried to remedy this situation by decreeing: "Disorderly conduct of drunkards on the public streets should be stopped."

A quick perusal of The Independent (a newspaper in Seoul published in Korean and English in the late 1890s), reveals no shortage of articles involving the police and intoxicated individuals. Most of these encounters were men who went out and partied too much but some of these encounters involved students:

A main thoroughfare in Seoul in the early 1900s. Robert Neff Collection

In the summer of 1897, Yi Young-cho, a student at the Royal Russian School in Seoul, decided to celebrate the start of the vacation with a few drinks in the Jongno area. By late afternoon he was intoxicated and belligerent. He lashed out at everyone he encountered with vile and abusive language. Eventually, the residents of the neighborhood decided they had enough of his abuse and attacked the student with sticks and stones ― fully intent on breaking his bones. Fortunately for Yi, a policeman came to his rescue and escorted him to the police station where he stayed until he sobered up. Yi soon learned that the Ministry of Education decided to extend his school vacation permanently ― he and at least one other student were expelled from school for drunkenness.

Encounters between intoxicated soldiers and the police were far too frequent and often ended in violence.

In December 1896, Pak Chung-suk, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) of the 5th regiment, won a lawsuit and decided to celebrate. Instead of going off with his friends to drink, he elected to get drunk in the vicinity of the Seoul Court and "abuse the court official with the most insulting language." When a judge scolded him and told him the court was not a place to be obstreperous, Pak became enraged and directed his bitter insults at the judge.

The judge ordered the police to place the intoxicated soldier in jail and to report the incident to the War Office. Pak was not in jail for very long. An angry mob of soldiers swarmed the Court House and freed Pak, as well as another prisoner. The very next day, the judges and officials were forced to flee for their lives when an even larger band of soldiers entered the Court House and broke the doors, windows and furniture. They also severely beat two policemen ― one fatally.

Inebriated palace officials ― intoxicated with alcohol and power ― also made the lives of Joseon policemen difficult. A policeman tried to quiet down a group of six officials ― all heavily under the influence of liquor ― but they scolded him and threated to have him dismissed from his position. A concerned citizen "witnessed the disgraceful act of the drunkards, and told them that it is against the city ordinance to raise disturbance on the streets." The six men turned their attention away from the policeman and began to pummel the citizen "for talking to them in an impolite manner." When the policeman tried to stop them, he was kicked into the gutter and then the six officials made their escape ― staggering off into the darkness.

Changuimun (Northwest Gate) in the early 20th century. Robert Neff Collection

It is interesting to note that in the 1897 decree also contained this: "The policemen or police officers who go into saloons to buy drinks, will be immediately discharged from the service."

It should come as no surprise that sometimes the police had to police themselves. That summer ― in July ― an intoxicated policeman named Pak Ki-yung threatened a number of police officers with his sword at the Jongno Police Station. With some difficulty, he was disarmed and told to go home and sober up. Pak refused and told the other officers that he was a secret police inspector and had far more authority than a normal patrol police officer. Furthermore, he had the authority to release anyone he wanted from confinement. He tried to demonstrate this authority by interfering in the arrest of another inebriated man which earned him a quick dismissal from the police force.

One police magistrate rued his encounter with the bottle after entering the palace in a drunken condition. His disturbance cost him not only his position but also earned him 80 blows with a wooden stave.

Another contentious law ― at least to foreigners ― was the law concerning the city gates. Once the gates were closed in the evening, they were not opened until the morning which resulted in a great deal of inconvenience for travelers and merchants. Many people just went to a dark and isolated section of the wall and climbed over or utilized the professional services of smugglers, but some people decided to do it the hard and violent way.

The city walls of Seoul in the early 1900s. Robert Neff Collection

In November 1897, The Independent reported:

"A few nights ago three Western foreigners, while returning from a day's hunting in the country found the West gate closed. They asked the policeman in charge to open the gate for them, but the policeman told them to wait outside until he reported the matter to headquarters and obtained the order to open the gate for the belated foreigners. It was several hours before the policeman received the necessary permission from headquarters and he then opened the gate for the impatient travelers. As soon as the foreigners got inside they turned their wrath upon the poor policeman and beat him with the barrel of the guns which they carried. The policeman sustained severe injuries on his head and body and is now lying in his house between life and death."

Foreigners were not the only ones. One night, in December 1896, ten soldiers of the 5th regiment (this regiment seems to have had a discipline problem) arrived at Changuimun (Northwest Gate) and found it closed:

"They demanded the policeman on duty to open the gate for them, but the police did not comply on the ground that there was no order from Headquarters to that effect. The soldiers climbed over the wall and came inside the gate where they beat the policeman in the most outrageous manner. The policeman is reported to be between a critical point of life and death on account of the injuries he received from the hands of the rowdy soldiers."

The editor of The Independent acknowledged that "the custom of closing the city gates during the night is a nuisance to the public, but we must not entertain any enmity toward those keepers who were simply obeying the order of their superior." He was especially critical of the foreigners' treatment of the policeman at the gate and denounced it "as barbarous" and called for them to be severely reprimanded.

Laws that infringed upon the public's entertainment were for the most part tolerated. There seems to have been little, if any, outrage when kite flying ― one of the popular activities and sports during the lunar holiday season ― and jegichagi (shuttlecock or hacky sack) were banned on the main thoroughfares of the city. However, when the government tried to ban seokjeon (stone battle), there was opposition.
[please link https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2022/10/715_323043.html]

In February 1898, "two policemen went to the vacant lot outside the West gate a few days ago, where a large number of men and boys [were] engaged in a stone fight and tried to stop the sport." The combatants were unwilling to give up the field. One of the leaders of the teams incited the crowd to kill the policemen so that they could resume the battle and the crowd promptly advanced upon the two police officers. Much to the crowd's surprise, the policemen did not flee ― they drew their swords in anticipation of a bloody battle. "The rabble soon became frightened and made retreat." The leader who had incited the crowd was soon arrested ― his fate is unknown but he likely fared rather poorly in prison.

Tomorrow we will examine perhaps the most contentious law of the 1897 decree.

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