In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the most important events in village life was the five-day...
2,500 years after his death, Master Kong’s ideas continue to shape life on the Korean peninsula.
As we welcome in another New Year with copious amounts of food and alcohol in homes or at local pubs and clubs, let us pause for a moment and reflect on how the New Year was celebrated by Koreans a century ago. Although the solar New Year – December 31/January...
Words by Luigina Webb When was the last time you saw someone wearing hanbok to work, or on the subway...
Words by Robert Neff In this humorous anecdote from the turn of the 20th century, an American diplomat and a mob...
Words BY Robert Neff Photos courtesy of the Robert Neff collection A skirmish between Japanese and Russian warships in February of 1904 was the first clash of the Russo-Japanese war, a conflict whose outcome would determine the fate of Korea. Just before noon on February 9th, 1904, two Russian warships,...
Modern transportation has made travel to most places in Korea, no matter how distant from Seoul, easy and comfortable. However,...
Photos courtesy of the Robert Neff collection The anti-Western sentiment pervasive in Pyongyang today has a long history, as historian...
Words by Robert Neff, Photos from the collection of Robert Neff One of the most valued animals in Joseon Korea was the Korean bull, which was used for transportation, food and leather. Westerners described these bulls as “noble” and “splendid beasts” that were not only “remarkably handsome” but very “tractable.”, thus...
Words by Robert NeffPhotos from the collection of Robert Neff Joseon Korea was generally perceived by foreign visitors as a...