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Tue, August 9, 2022 | 17:55

The Un'yo Incident of 1875 (part one)

On the cloudy morning of September 19, 1875, a strange vessel appeared in the sea near Ganghwa Island. “Flying a yellow flag,” it had two masts - covered with sails - and a tall chimney in the center which belched out thick black smoke as it sailed to the southern tip of the island and anchored at the mouth of the narrow channel that separates the island from the mainland.

2020-09-19 09:11

The Nanzing - a cargo of criminals and corpses

The Nanzing shipped a variety of things generally between Shanghai, Jemulpo and Fusan - mainly general goods, mining equipment and a little gold, but very little from Nagasaki apparently due to the ship's bad reputation.

2020-09-13 12:49

The Nanzing - competition among steamers

The Nanzing - competition among steamers

In the early 1880s, Jemulpo [modern Incheon] was one Korea's three open ports. In the beginning, only two Japanese-subsidized steamships visited the isolated port - generally once or twice a month - and, unsurprisingly, they were expensive to utilize. But in the late summer of 1883, a competitor appeared - the British-owned Nanzing. It was a small steamer - only 808 tons - co...

2020-09-12 12:15

The Nanzing - a cargo of criminals and corpses

Drunken sailors, deadly riots: A tale from 19th century Nagasaki

Nagasaki in the 19th century was Japan's version of the American “wild wild west.” Merchant marines and sailors from all parts of the world gathered in this port to drink, purchase companionship and fight. Most of the time these fights were simple affairs - one or two sailors fighting with a couple of sailors from an opposing navy - but on occasion they became literal street ...

2020-09-06 09:01

Leopards: A dangerous Korean luxury

One cold morning in the winter of 1886, Antoinette Sontag - a member of the Russian legation in Seoul - opened her window to feed some of her pet pigeons and was startled to discover a huge leopard glaring at her. It bared its teeth, hissed, and then sprang over the legation's walls. A hunting party was quickly assembled and they followed the leopard's tracks (apparently thro...

2020-09-05 10:19

Yokohama a century ago

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Yokohama was one of the gateways to Korea. Travelers from the United States and Europe would often sail to Yokohama aboard large ocean-going steamships and then take smaller coastal steamers - stopping at Kobe and Nagasaki - to Fusan (modern Busan), Wonsan and Jemulpo (modern Incheon).

2020-08-30 14:09

Sleeping in danger

Korean summers are miserably hot and humid. About a century ago, the only escape from the stifling heat at night was to seek cool relief by sleeping outside. Of course, this was not without dangers. Tigers still stalked the darkness and occasionally made off with hapless woodsmen and lonely travelers. Yet, surprisingly, tigers were not the greatest danger - wolves were.

2020-08-29 09:42

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Namhansanseong in 1884 (part two)

“[Namhansanseong] was in the past the favorite retreat for the [Joseon] King,” declared Ensign George C. Foulk when he visited the site in October 1884 and then went on to add: “This most notable occupancy was during the last Chinese invasion of Korea, when it was vainly besieged by a Chinese army while defended by its villagers and 120 soldiers. The Queen and Prince having b...

2020-08-23 09:37

Walking in the footsteps of the past: Namhansanseong in 1884 (part one)

In the fall of 1884, George C. Foulk, a naval officer attached to the American legation in Seoul, undertook an arduous tour of the region surrounding Seoul. One of the last places on his tour was the mountain fortress known as Namhansanseong. This fortress was built in the 1620s to serve as an emergency palace and administration center in the event Seoul was threatened or cap...

2020-08-22 10:33

Trying to keep cool in Fusan

In the late 19th century, the small foreign community at Fusan (now modern Busan) often escaped the stifling summer heat by bathing (swimming) at one of the nearby beaches. William Nelson Lovatt, Commissioner of Customs at that port, and his family often went to the beach and frolicked in the shallows while searching for pretty shells.

2020-08-16 13:32

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