Defences: Namdaemun, pictured, is one of the
Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul which surrounded the city in
the Joseon Dynasty. The image is one of a series which give a
fascinating insight into Korean life more than a century ago
By
Steve Nolan
With a young leader trying to
assert his authority, mounting international tension and a growing army
trying to establish itself as a military force to be reckoned with, life
in Korea at the end of the 19th century would probably not sound all
that alien to the inhabitants of at least one half of the former empire
today.
But far from the acrimoniously divided pair of states we know now, Korea was still a vast single sovereignty.
And
instead of threatening global powers with aggressive threats of martial
action - as in North Korea's case today - the nation, known until 1897
as Joseon, was desperately trying not to be bullied in a power struggle
between China and Japan.
This
fascinating set of pictures gives a rare glimpse into life in the late
19th and early 20th centuries in Korea - a time of great change for the
state.
Taking a breather: A western man sits with his
straw boater on the grass on a visit to one the Royal Tombs of the
Joseon Dynasty scattered across 18 locations in Korea
Resting place of the kings: A Korean man strolls in the sunshine at one of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty
Traditional dress: A young child, right, and a
woman, below, show what traditional Korean dress looked like at the turn
of the 20th Century
The pictures show iconic palaces and
fortresses of the soon to be ousted Joseon dynasty, including the
Gyeongbokgung Palace - first constructed in 1395, later burned and
abandoned for almost three centuries, and then reconstructed in 1867 -
the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the
dynasty.
Koreans are
pictured walking among the final resting place of the kings, the Royal
Tombs of Joseon - Korea's answer to the Pyramids of Giza - and peddler
merchants trying to sell their wares.
Of particular note, are early
pictures of several of a series of eight gates which were part of a
fortress wall which surrounded the city of Seoul during the Joseon rule,
including the stunning Namdaemun gate - which is undergoing resotration
work following an arson in 2008 - pictured complete with its historic
24-hour market.
In one
picture, the Korean class system is illustrated - at one stage during
Joseon rule, a third of the population were said to be slaves.
Grand: The Gyeongbokgung royal palace in Seoul
was first constructed in 1395, later burned and abandoned for almost
three centuries, and then reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and
largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty
Trading place: The historic 24-hour Namdaemun market is located next to this 14th century gate, one of eight surrounding Seoul
Play time: Korean children climb on a statue outside one of Korea's grand palaces
Taken in 1904 in Chungcheongbuk-Do, a
woman of the upper class of old Korea is pictured riding in a 'kama'.
The palanquin is carried by the two men in the background. A lady's
personal maidservant follows the palanquin on foot.
The class system was banned in 1894.
The pictures illustrate a great turning point in Korean history.
At the tail end of the 19th century,
Korea had been in the grip of the Joseon dynasty for 500 years -
formed following a largely bloodless coup by general Yi Seong-Gye in 1392.
The dynasty had survived intact a
bloody invasion by the Japanese in the late 16th century, which saw
invading warriors take around 200,000 noses cut from Korean's faces back
to their homeland as souvenirs following defeat, and numerous attempts
at a coup by the Manchu of China.
FIVE CENTURIES OF RULE - THE JOSEON DYNASTY (1392-1897)
The
Joseon dynasty ruled Korea for just over five centuries. It was founded
when the Goryeo Dynasty was overthrown in what is now the city of
Kaesong.
The dynasty was the last of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian reign.
During its long reign, the dynasty encouraged the inclusion of Confucian ideals and doctrines in everyday society and imported and adapted much Chinese culture.
It oversaw the height of classical Korean science, literature and technological advances.
But the dynasty was weakened in the
16th and 17th centuries when both Japan and China invaded - leading to
the country adopting an isolationist attitude to its politics.
It thus became known as the Hermit Kingdom.
After a 200 year period of peace, its power waned however through the 18th and 19th centuries with international pressure and numerous rebellions taking their toll.
The dynasty has left a substantial legacy to today's Korea including much of Korean etiquette, culture and dialect.
The dynasty was the last of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian reign.
During its long reign, the dynasty encouraged the inclusion of Confucian ideals and doctrines in everyday society and imported and adapted much Chinese culture.
It oversaw the height of classical Korean science, literature and technological advances.
Cultural legacy: South Koreans wearing
traditional costumes perform a ritual for the deceased Kings of the
Joseon Dynasty at the royal shrine of Jongmyo during an annual royal
memorial service in Seoul
It thus became known as the Hermit Kingdom.
After a 200 year period of peace, its power waned however through the 18th and 19th centuries with international pressure and numerous rebellions taking their toll.
The dynasty has left a substantial legacy to today's Korea including much of Korean etiquette, culture and dialect.
Helping out: Two Koreans are pictured gathering water at a city well, helped out by a young Korean boy
Class system: In this picture, taken in 1904 in
Chungcheongbuk-Do, a woman of the upper class of old Korea, riding in a
'kama'. The palanquin is carried by the two men in the background. A
lady's personal maidservant) follows the palanquin on foot
Fortress: Another picture of one of the eight gates in the fortress wall surrounding Seoul. At that time, it was called Hansung
Leisure time: A Korean fisherman takes a break
from the day job and enjoys a pipe, left, while a newly married Korean
couple pose for their first portrait below
But
the longstanding Joseon rule, which had also overseen the emergence of
Confucianism as the national religion and great advances in science and
technology, was unstable once again at the close of the 19th century, after more than two centuries of
relative peace.
Korea had
long been a tributary nation to China and its Qing dynasty, but the two
countries association was to end when Japan and China went to war
primarily over Korean control and Japan was victorious.
With
the Chinese influence over Korea defeated, the 26th Joseon king,
Gojong, proclaimed the Korean Empire and King Gojong became Emperor
Gojong.
The imperial
government aimed to become a strong and independent nation by
implementing domestic reforms; strengthening military forces, developing
commerce and industry, and surveying land ownership.
Celebration: The groom traditionally sat on horseback for Korean weddings, but this horse is part of a large procession
Workers: At one stage of the Joseon dynasty, an estimated third of the population were classed as slaves
No child care back then: One woman is pictured working with her baby on her back alongside an elderly couple
Sun shades: Two men in traditional dress attempt
to hide from the glare of the Korean sun, left, while an elderly man
with a stick smiles for the camera while Korean peddler merchants work
in the background
But the Empire was short lived - it lasted 13 years in all.
Russia
became increasingly influential in the country, much to the irritation
of the Japanese and the two nations went to war over the sovereignty in
1904.
Korea effectively
became a protectorate of Japan in 1905 after the Japanese and Russians
signed a treaty without the knowledge of Gojong at the end of the war.
Gojong was forced to abdicate in 1907 and the Empire finally fell as the nation became an annexe of Japan in 1910.
Getting around: Two servants carry an upper class man on what looks more akin to a unicycle than a comfortable mode of transport
Musical interlude: A young woman stands in the background and watches a band of men as they play traditional Korean music
Lookout: Korea underwent a partially successful
phase of modernisation when it became the Korean Empire largely
expanding its army
Happy: Elderly Korean peddlars pictured smiling for the camera as they smoke pipes at a market stall
European-style transport and
communication networks were established across the nation in order to
extract the resources and labour; these networks were mostly destroyed
later during the Korean War.
The
banking system was consolidated and the Korean currency abolished. The
Japanese removed the Joseon hierarchy, destroyed much of the
Gyeongbokgung palace and replaced it with the Government office
building.
Despite various
anti-Japanese uprisings in the years that followed, the nation remained
under Japanese rule until the aftermath of World War Two.
A NATION DIVIDED: HOW KOREA WAS SPLIT INTO NORTH AND SOUTH
The division of Korea into North and
South came following the Japanese surrender to the Allied forces at the
end of World War Two in 1945.
Japan had occupied Korea before the end of the war and it became divided into two areas of influence once the fighting stopped - North Korea under Soviet influence and South Korea under US influence.
With Cold War tensions building, the US and Soviet Union were unable to come to an agreement over a joint trusteeship over Korea and in 1948 the two Koreas formally separated, with each following a separate ideology - communism in the North and capitalism in the South.
But the Southern state came under attack from the North just two years later when the North Korean People's Army tried to invade the South and reunite the two states under a communist ideology.
The Korean Civil War saw some 1.2million people killed including more than 36,000 US soldiers, 500,000 South Koreans and 215,000 from the Korean People's Army.Civil war raged until July 1953 when, under the supervision of the United Nations, the two parties signed the Korean War Armistice agreement.
Since then a Demilitarised Zone has separated the two nations, and technically they are still at war because only an armistice was signed and not a peace treaty.
While North Korea has gone on to become a totalitarian state which is thought to be in the grip of poverty, South Korea has gone from strength to strength and is now one of Asia's most affluent countries.
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http://tinyurl.com/bve34vp
Japan had occupied Korea before the end of the war and it became divided into two areas of influence once the fighting stopped - North Korea under Soviet influence and South Korea under US influence.
With Cold War tensions building, the US and Soviet Union were unable to come to an agreement over a joint trusteeship over Korea and in 1948 the two Koreas formally separated, with each following a separate ideology - communism in the North and capitalism in the South.
Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers move in single
file toward Korea's east-central front near Lookout Mountain, east of
the Pukhan River, on June 28, 1953 during the Korean War
But the Southern state came under attack from the North just two years later when the North Korean People's Army tried to invade the South and reunite the two states under a communist ideology.
The Korean Civil War saw some 1.2million people killed including more than 36,000 US soldiers, 500,000 South Koreans and 215,000 from the Korean People's Army.Civil war raged until July 1953 when, under the supervision of the United Nations, the two parties signed the Korean War Armistice agreement.
Since then a Demilitarised Zone has separated the two nations, and technically they are still at war because only an armistice was signed and not a peace treaty.
While North Korea has gone on to become a totalitarian state which is thought to be in the grip of poverty, South Korea has gone from strength to strength and is now one of Asia's most affluent countries.
Related Reading:
Blitz Britain: Amazing Colour Pictures of London Under Siege From Nazi Bombers During World War II
Oradour-sur-Glane: When The Nazis' Guns Fell Silent, This Is What Was Left
The Dark Secret Of The Woman In Hitler's Bathtub: How War Photographer, Lee Miller, Was Raped As A Child And Forced To Pose Naked By Her Father
The Little One That Got Away: Incredible Stories Of Jewish Children Who Survived The Nazi Holocaust
When I Met Hitler, Mussolini And Saw The Devastation At Dunkirk: Astonishing Images From A German Soldier's Photo Album
Islamic-Naziism
Life In The Concrete Jungle: Hustle And Bustle Of Seventies New York City As Seen Through The Eyes Of One Gifted Photographer
A Country Divided: Stunning Photographs Capture The Lives Of Ordinary Americans During Segregation In The Jim Crow South
When Harry Truman Saved The White House: Photos Of The Gutted Interior Of A National Monument
What We Learned From @OWS and @ChikFilA: A Photo Essay Of Left And Right Protests
Hard Times Come To Omonia Square
Day of FAIL: Nationwide Anti-Capitalist Revolution Flops
Shocking Disasters Of The 20th Century: From The Hindenburg To Le Mans, Historic Pathé Footage Reveals Events Which Shook The World
The World War One Wasteland: Haunting Rare Image Show Apocalyptic Destruction On The Western Front
Gunkanjima: Ruins Of A Forbidden Island
Cartoons From The Great Depression
How The Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz Fell Under The Spell Of Dr Death: The Hideous Experiments Carried Out By Nazi Josef Mengele On Seven Trusting Brothers And Sisters
The Year Of Vengeance: How Neighbours Turned On Each Other As Anarchy Erupted In The Aftermath Of World War II
The Face Of The Great Depression: Mona Lisa Of The Dust Bowl "Never Lost Hope"
Haunting Images Of Churches Across The World That Were "Drowned" To Make Way For Man-Made Dams And Reservoirs
The Tracks Of My Years: Photographer Captures A Decade-Long Adventure Spent Travelling Across America On Freight Trains
Abandoned, Beautiful, Creepy, Modern Ruins
Old Photos Of Jews In The Middle East And North Africa In The Late 19th Century
A Century of Korean Dynasty On Film: The Fascinating, Opulent Life of the Joseon Family In One, United Korea
They Pretend They're "Sane And Rational." We Pretend They're "Relevant."
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More to come...
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