Fifteen Years Among the Top-Knots; Or, Life in Korea

by Lillias H. Underwood

They however, not being prepared at that time to carry matters to extremes, after repeated attempts at a compromise, at length temporarily dropped it.

The Koreans, in order to oppose the encroachments of the Japanese, had organized a society “for the promotion of peace and safety” (Po an Whai) and many exciting discussions took place as to how to defeat the purposes of the Japanese, while continually a stream of memorials poured in to the Emperor, beseeching him not to yield to the demands of the invaders. The latter, therefore, forcibly broke in on one of the meetings and carried leading members to the police station, and at other times raided the meeting-place, arrested other members and confiscated their papers. They further warned the Korean government that these doings must be firmly put down, and insisted that those who kept on sending memorials against the Japanese must be arrested and punished. The position of the Emperor at that time, as ever since, was certainly not an enviable one, and then if ever was it true that “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” Indeed the poor Korean Emperor’s crown was sitting very loosely just then and there seemed no way in sight to keep it from rolling quite away.

Japanese troops in Seoul were increased at this time to six thousand. The members of the Po an Whai, on the other hand, sent circular letters throughout the country. News spreads in a marvellous way in Korea, faster than by mail, almost as by telegraph the human wireless flies from mouth to mouth, from hand to hand, and thousands of members were enrolled in every province.

In August Japanese military authorities asked for six thousand coolies to work on the railroad at handsome wages, but the report got out that these men were to be on the fighting line. Perhaps they distrusted their employers, but, whatever the reason, only two thousand men could be obtained and there were frequent bloody fights in the villages when the effort was made to force men to work.

The tide of public opinion was now running high against them on account of the waste land measure and the violation of the right of free speech, which had hitherto rarely been interfered with by their own government in spite of all its faults.

The Po an Whai still continued to carry on its propaganda, so the Japanese started another, called the Il Chin society, protected by Japanese police and having only such members as were properly accredited by them; and following this another society was organized as the Kuk Min or National People’s Club. Although their plans were good, having no means whereby to carry them out they were laughed at by some, but nevertheless they served to strengthen and unify patriotic feeling, develop progressive ideas, and sow broadcast through the land a general desire for advance and reform; to bid the people awake to the dangers threatening them and to stir up a general spirit of inquiry as to the best method to strengthen their country and finally deliver her. Perhaps not much wisdom was wasted here. The members were all more or less ignorant of such things, of almost anything, in fact, but Chinese classics, but nevertheless a beginning must always be made, and this was at least something.

And now in connection with the societies and the universal cry of “Kaiwha”—progress—one began to see everywhere a distressing admixture of foreign and native dress. Koreans had been for some time cutting their hair. Now hundreds were wearing foreign caps and shoes which with their own long white coats gave the painfully ridiculous appearance of some one going abroad in night attire, having stopped only for foot and head gear. Some wore no coats at all but very gaily colored foreign vests, with their baggy white trousers below. The transition stage in the dress of eastern peoples is sad to a degree to the foreigner who loves them and holds their dignity and respectability dear as his own. The more he cares for the people the more bitterly does he resent the harrowing and pitiful variety of incongruities evolved by the natives in their zealous efforts to imitate the foreigner.

Thus progress and pro-Japanese societies—names by some considered synonymous—multiplied, but the poor common people were as sheep without a shepherd, a prey to the wolves and robbers on all hands.

During that summer the Japanese made their first suggestions that Korea should recall her foreign representatives and that all Korean diplomatic business be transacted through the Japanese Legation. This was not, however, pushed at this time, but was simply a forecast of what was in store.

A little later a Mr. Stevens,[8] an American citizen, was nominated by them as adviser to the Korean foreign office. This was a move of great discernment, for Americans have always been particularly favored by the Korean court and people from the Emperor to the coolie, and the advice of an American would meet a far readier hearing at that time than that of a Japanese. This man, being the Japanese appointee and dischargeable only by them, was more than likely, as it chanced, to advise Koreans according to the wishes of the Japanese, indeed, for what other purpose could his patrons have placed him there?