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Tue, October 3, 2023 | 16:27

The return of Heungseon Daewongun

The return of Heungseon Daewongun

When Arthur H. Heath (a journalist for the Illustrated London News) and his two companions (Charles Joseph Uren and Lionel F. Gowing) traveled to Korea in late September 1885, they expected a great adventure and were not disappointed.

2022-07-23 11:06

The Korean power shovel

The Korean power shovel

In the modern age of “ppali-ppali” (a Korean expression that means to do everything quickly) one still occasionally sees what some Westerners over a century ago called “the Korean power shovel.”

2022-07-10 09:58

Joseon dragons' great influence over weather, state affairs

Joseon dragons' great influence over weather, state affairs

Dragons have dwelt on the Korean Peninsula since the beginning of time - at least according to the legends and folklore. These mystical creatures or entities were also popular subjects to grace the pages of Westerners' letters home or to the editors of their local newspapers.

2022-07-09 11:17

Baseball in Joseon: Part 2

Baseball in Joseon: Part 2

Phillip Gillett, an American missionary working with the YMCA, is often credited as being the first to introduce baseball to Korea in 1905. He helped popularize it and form a Korean baseball team - the Hwangseong YMCA Baseball Team. The following year, he helped arrange the first official Korean baseball match on Feb. 11, 1906. It would not be the last game.

2022-07-03 14:32

Baseball in Joseon: Part 1

Baseball in Joseon: Part 1

On a beautiful fall afternoon in late October 1894, baseball made its appearance in Seoul. It isn't clear if this was the first baseball game to be played in Korea, but it is the earliest account I could find and clearly predates the popular belief that baseball began in Korea in 1905.

2022-06-25 15:00

The Royal English School's Sports Day

The Royal English School's Sports Day

In her diary, on June 16, 1897, Elizabeth Greathouse duly noted that it was a cloudy day but it promised to be a good day for the Royal English School's annual athletic sports day. She wasn't quite sure what the students were going to do - some type of gymnastics, she guessed - but she looked forward to attending the event with two Korean ladies. They were due to arrive at 3 ...

2022-06-20 22:07

The assassination attempt of Heungson Daewon'gun

The assassination attempt of Heungson Daewon'gun

On the morning of June 15, 1892, the residents of Seoul awoke to the booming of thunder. It was a very welcomed sound. One elderly American wrote in her diary, the sky had “every appearance of rain, we all hope it may come.” Indeed, many of the farmers were probably praying fervently knowing that a bountiful rain would help ensure a successful harvest, but others, before the ...

2022-06-18 10:44

Secret journey to Daegu in 1875

Secret journey to Daegu in 1875

Traveling alone through the Korean countryside in March 1875 was dangerous - especially if you were a foreigner. However, one young Japanese man from Tsushima Island, likely a student interpreter at Fusan (modern Busan) and possessed by the folly of youth and the mastery of the Korean language, was determined to explore Korea beyond the small Japanese enclave at Fusan.

2022-06-12 09:17

The earliest students of Korea and 'things Korean'

The earliest students of Korea and 'things Korean'

In late 1884, there were only a handful of Westerners residing in Seoul. Some of these men were recognized later as experts on “things Korean.” Men like William George Aston, a British diplomat, who studied and learned Korean while in Japan in preparation for being assigned to Korea in 1884.

2022-06-11 10:28

Born on the fifth day of the fifth moon

Born on the fifth day of the fifth moon

In the late 19th century, books written in English about Korean history were often more amusing than informative because they were filled with inaccuracies, folktales, myths and deliberate deceptions. Horace N. Allen, an early American missionary doctor and later the American representative to Korea, was fond of amusing foreign readers on the peninsula - as well as those abro...

2022-06-05 17:07

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