Recently I visited Korea for the first time and the excitement before my trip was immense. As I planned my itinerary, a question came to my mind: who was the first foreigner to set foot in Korea?
My research led me to discover that Hendrick Hamel, a Dutch navigator who was shipwrecked on the island of Jeju while en route to Nagasaki in 1653, was among the first foreigners, besides the Japanese, to explore and document his experiences there. During my research, I also encountered the name of William Elliot Griffis, whose story resonated with me.
Griffis wrote about Korea and developed a profound interest in it despite never having visited it. Although I hadn't yet experienced Korea firsthand, for more than a year, I have been contributing to the Honorary Reporters program. Like many other reporters, I share my passion for Korea through my writing, aiming to enhance understanding of this fascinating country across the world. In many ways, this endeavor mirrors the spirit of William E. G., who I like to think of as an honorary reporter of the 19th century.
William Elliot Griffis was an american author, orientalist and -according to Rutgers University- the main interpreter of Japan in the West before World War I and an expert on Korea. During William Elliot Griffis's time, Korea remained largely unknown, in part due to its hermetism, which intensified after the Japanese invasion of 1592. Despite this, and maybe because of it, William E.G.'s interest in Korea was immense. In one of his best-known works titled "Corea: The Hermit Nation," published in 1882, he revealed that he considered the nation an unpolished diamond and wondered when its awakening would come.
In an article from 1881, in which he introduced the aforementioned work, the author began by saying: “I have never entered ‘the Corea’, as it used to be called, in bodily presence, tlhough often there in thought and study”. A situation that many foreigners who love Korean culture can identify with.
How did William E.G's interest in Korea arise? It was in the 70s, while living in Japan, where he served as superintendent and teacher. During his stay there he realized that much of what was in Japan was related to Korea, which was due to the ancient bond that existed between the two nations. Furthermore, the presence of elements belonging to Korean culture was greater in those towns where some descendants of Koreans resided.
William E.G studied the writings of some of the navigators who visited Korea, as well as the accounts and descriptions of the Japanese, which were one of the most extensive sources of information. The study and contrast of all this information and what he himself could observe while living in Japan, allowed him to fulfill the objective of shedding light on Korea in very varied aspects, such as its clothing, its housing, its religion, its language and its customs.
Among the author's works is not only “Corea: the Hermit Nation", but also “Corea, Without and Within” (1885) and “Korean Fairy Tales” (1922). In the second, in addition to delving into various topics of life in Korea, he included a review of the diary of Hendrick Hamel, titled “Hamel's Journal and a Description of the Kingdom Of Korea”.
On the other hand, “Korean Fairy Tales” includes 26 typical stories from Korean folklore adapted by William E.G. In the introduction of said book he mentions the following: “In this book I tell the folklore of the Korean people, and of the behavior of the particular kind of fairies that inhabit the Land of Morning Splendor. Yet, if I live long enough, I shall write the wonderful history of the Korean nation and civilization, which once so enriched Asia, and made possible the modern Japan such as we know today, of which fact the literature and art of both countries bear ample witness”.
William E.G.'s works offer valuable insights into the Korea from the past, revealing aspects that maybe are unfamiliar to us. A great admirer of Korea, William E.G. was certainly ahead of his time and can be considered one of the earliest enthusiasts of the country.
How about this article?
- Like0
- Support0
- Amazing0
- Sad0
- Curious0
- Insightful0