Croaking in Joseon

A fish market in the late 19th or early 20th century / Robert Neff Collection

Fish markets are some of the most colorful and photogenic places in Seoul. They are a cornucopia of stimulation ― the smell of fish; their vibrant colors, sizes and shapes; the yelling and chattering of potential sellers and buyers; the succulent taste of seafood in all varieties and styles of cooking (or raw); and, depending on what you touch, the ice, the slime, grit, oil and dirt found in similar markets.

History and culture are also found in these markets both in the present and the past. The fish markets now are filled with seafood from all around the world ― including crabs and lobsters, tuna and other delicacies that would not have been found in the Seoul markets in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During the Joseon period, the most popular fish in the markets were probably the gizzard shad (jeon-o) which was said to be so tasty that a mother-in-law could bring back her wayward daughter-in-law just by roasting them. Pollack (myeongtae) were fished in large numbers in the East Sea but in Seoul's markets croakers (jo-gi) reigned. They were abundant in the West Sea and were a reliable source of income for Korean fishermen.

The boats used to fish for croakers were simply known as "croaker catching boats" and were some of the largest fishing boats in Korea. According to an article appearing in the Korea Review in 1901:

"These boats differ in size, but the largest are seventy-two feet long, twenty-four feet wide and twelve feet deep. The width is further increased by wide gangways on either side which extend four feet over the water. The two masts are seventy-two and sixty-six feet high respectively. The sails are fifty-four feet long by thirty feet wide. The anchor rope is six inches thick and 420 feet long and is handled by a huge reel, twelve feet wide. The anchor is made of hard wood and is sixteen feet long. The rudder is twenty-one feet long and five and a half feet broad. The rudder post is a foot thick and forty feet long. They anchor in 280 feet of water or less while the net is being cast. The net itself is in the shape of a huge bag, 300 feet long, the opening being regulated by two poles, each of which are seventy feet long. One of them is sunk to the bottom and the other is held immediately under the boat in a horizontal position. The opening of the net is sixty feet long by eighteen feet wide."

The initial cost of one of these ships ― including crew, nets and provisions ― was about $2,800. While it may seem to be have been a huge investment, it was potentially very lucrative.

Croakers (jo-gi) being sold in Noryangjin Market/ Robert Neff Collection

In the spring, the fishing fleets would gather around Heuksan and Wi islands off the southwestern coast of the peninsula and Yeonpyeong Island off Hwanghae Province. Yeongpyeong Island was especially popular, even as late as the 1930s, when about 20,000 fishermen and merchants gathered around the island during the fishing season. The number of fish in this area was legendary and, in fact, there are legends associated with it. According to one, during the Later Jin invasion of 1627, General Im Gyeong-eop and his men, lacking food, stopped on Yeonpyeong Island where they caught a large quantity of croakers, salted them and re-provisioned their ship before continuing on to China. A shrine was built honoring him for instructing the islanders how to catch the fish and for ensuring an early catch. The islanders knew the fish would arrive, almost like clockwork, in the early spring which spawned a Korean phrase used to describe someone who fails to keep their promises and appointments ― "jogimando mot-hannom," a guy not as dependable as a croaker.

On a fairly successful cruise, the crews of these fishing boats (up to 45 men) were able to "bring in 300 tong of fish, each representing 1,000 fish." These fish could then be sold at the Jemulpo wharf for $10-12 a tong making the entire catch worth between $3,000 and $3,600. According to the article in the Korea Review, one man, who had just purchased a ship and a crew, made 500 percent on his investment on his first trip.

This success was not confined only to Korea fishermen. Korean coastal areas and sea zones in the West Sea were frequently invaded by Chinese fishermen, often resulting in violence. In 1885, Morsel, a German working for the Korean Customs Service, toured the ports of Jeolla Province and observed "hundreds of Chinese junks …one-masted boats of 5-10 tons, two, three and four-masted junks up to large five-masted junks." Some of them were armed with iron cannons and their crews caused great distress among the fishermen and in the villages where the Chinese landed for supplies.

Not only were the Korean fishermen having to contend with organized Chinese poaching but also with the supernatural. The fishermen were well-aware of the spirits that presided along the coasts and in the fishing grounds and took great pains to placate these divine but often malevolent entities. There were seven occasions in which sacrifices were offered: when the ship was first launched, at the start of a voyage, at especially dangerous places along the coasts, at the fishing grounds just prior to fishing, during storms and to ward off or "avert the consequences of special omens of bad luck." Concerning the last occasion, in the 1930s, there was a resident mudang on Yeonpyeong Island "whose influence with the Spirit [was] very great and there [were] few skippers who dared to dispense with her services."

The brilliant colors found in the new Noryangjin Market / Robert Neff Collection

As for the sacrifices, they could be held at any time of day but the most preferred time was at night, in the darkness, which was said to be more favored by the spirits. Candles were placed at the offering tables of food and drink so as to guide the spirits. Sometimes the ship was decorated with flags and pennants dedicated to the dragon, tiger and General Im who "was deified as a sort of patron saint of sailors."

At Yeonpyeong Island, as mentioned earlier, the captain would visit the shrine to General Im or visit the local shaman, but at other fishing grounds, "it [was] frequently the custom to patronize some well-known and potent spirit on a nearby island. If such a shrine [was] not within reach, before the nets were cast or any fishing of any kind [was] begun," the ship came to anchor and sacrifices were made.

Not all sacrifices involved just food and drink ― some, at least in the past, were claimed to have demanded lives. These sacrifices were to the spirits and guardians of the sea.

"In ancient times and, indeed according to some, down to the early part of the present dynasty [Joseon] once a year it was the custom at certain points on the coast to offer, a human victim, a young girl, was thrown into the sea to propitiate the sea-dragon."

These human sacrifices have been immortalized in Korean tales, such as that of Sim Cheong, the filial daughter, who, in an effort to help cure her father's blindness, sold herself as a sacrifice.

It was also important for sailors not to antagonize the spirits by allowing menstruating women aboard the ship or engaging in spousal intimacy before sailing.

Harvesting from the sea required sacrifices ― some that were freely given and other bitterly taken ― but, for those willing to take the risks, it could be very lucrative.

Shellfish at the new Noryangjin Market / Robert Neff Collection

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