Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-28
KOREA: MUCH ADO AB0UTNOTHING"

| Chosen Indian letters. brought at the
| same time the great doctrines OF Irahma
| and Buddha, and with them its litera-
| ture.''
| In the commencement of the Christian
| era the Korean peninsula was inhabited
| by savage tribes. which the writer by
| employing the methods of the ethnol0-
| gist, has fixed as peoples from the polar
| regions. The Korean. indeed. in FORM
| feature and characteristics, Is more Es-
| quimaux than Mongol Manchu. He
| was never a part Of the Korean civiliZa-
ton. which was fostered in the Indo-Chi-
| nese mountains. which created the three
Kingdoms of Korai. Hiaksai and shuirai,
which, under the bonze civilization. be-
came at kiOn-Tchou q great center Of
| Buddhistic culture that spread to Japan.
Mention should be made OF the invasion
| OF Korea by Japan in the third century
A. D.. under lin ou-kuo-
japanese go. a princess of Japan.
Tnrae;ona who reigned from 2O1 to
269 A. y. The great Khou-
bla-khan conquered Korea and added to
: the splendor Of the three kingdoms. Bud
dhism fell in 1892. and on it's ruins rose
the present dynasty of Tsi-Tsien.
Japan invaded Korea in 1929. under
the command of Kato Kiyomasa and
konichf Toukinaga. In 1918 peace was
signed and Japan thus acquired settle
ment at Fusan and the Island of Tsu-
hima: the invasion Of Manchus and Tar
| tars In the sixteenth century imposed
| their power over Korea and exacted a
TRIBUTE, which has since been rendered
each year by Korean vassal kings under
the title Of 'China's Little Brother"
1t may be said without fear of con-
tradlction that the joint Interference Of
! Russia and the United States in the af-
fairs of Korea in 1883 provoked the war
| which broke out between China and Japan
| IN 1894, In which China was defeated and
Korea accorded the semblance of indie
pendence by the treaty of Shimonosek.
| The Russo-Japanese war in 1904 was
| Russia's penalty for her intrigues in
Korea The coming of XII VI Tying will
| recall the responsibility Of the United
| States for having disturbed the peaceful
| repose of the Land Of the Morning Calm
The writer was United States consul
| general to Korea from 1887 to 1882 and
resigned. unwilling to be a party to a
| policy which was unjust toward China
When he arrived at his post in Seoul the
| situation briefly resumed was as follows:
Russia, represented by NJ de Waeber, ex-
ercised almost supreme control over the
Korean king; Japan. scarcely factor. was
an apparent looker-on; China was repre-
| scented by Yuan Use Kwai, now viceroy
of Pechef, as Chinese resident general
Germany was actively fighting for COM
mercial supremacy; England and France
We're Indifferent: the United States was
blindly following the Russian policy die
| tated by de Waeber. AS a bait the Rus
slams proposed the setting up of Korea as
| Independent of China, at Washington and
| St. Petersburg followed by the appoint
ment Of three American military instruc-
tors and the appointment Of the United
States representative as foreign adviser to
| the Korean king. which meant the control
| OF Korean gold-mining concessions. This
practical seizure Of Korea was really the
| work of an official of the American State
Department. to whom the foreign affairs
! were at that time exclusively intrusted
| The United States will be reminded Of
| the obligations assumed toward Korea in
1882, and in order that 1t
American may not find itself without
ob,;oatious. arms to combat korea,s
ooiis claims, the writer submits
! the following facts to show. aside from the
| case of force majeure," that government
Is absolved from its obligation to Korea.
In 1882 Korea. then little known TO inc
| world, represented herself through her &C
| credited agents, as civilized nation-"Ihe
Hermit NatiOn"-possessed of civilization
of -four thousand years. The experience
OF quarter OF century mas proved .ne
absolute inslncerity of that pretension and
that the Korean government is savage
or, at most half-civilized state, and the
kine-emperor a savage of the same class as
the late kings OF Africa M-Tesa and Be
! hanzin. ~,
George KEENAN, may be cited as writing
of Emperor Lii He will have the head
| off his best friend If that friend gives him
cause of alarm. This gentle little man, VINO
/ consults his horoscope through the medi-
UNI of soft-handed woman, can order the
execution of friend without tear ana
| then go on playing with his stars ana
| trinkets. The government with his ma1es-
tvs sanction or permission has burned men
with hot irons, imprisoned them in cangues.
broken their bones with levers or torn them
asunder by driving apart four bulocks har-
| messed to their ankles and wrists.
Crimes of palace are Of almost daily oc-
| currence in Seoul, and a change of ministry
is usually effected by poison or the knife.
! King Li-Hi confided special mission to
one OF his diplomats to asSassinate for
! mer member Of a Korean ministry. The
| kings messenger profited by the mission to
visit the United States and France. where
! he was feted and lonized. He disappeared
| one day and was heard from next at Shang-
| hal, where he murdered his victim, and. re-
| turning to Seoul, was accorded the honors
of triumph by the king and was paid the
| promised blood money. The American con-
! fdential adviser has full knowledge of these
facts.
! Henry Norman was in Korea and writ
| ing Of Korean topics, said:
| Another Illuminating fact
Barbarous Is that when Korean states
o man is banished or executed
for political trespasses his
wife and daughters and all his women kind
are taken and attached to one Of the de-
partments of state for the use of the min
lister and his assistants This is the coun-
try" adds Norman. for which the United
States are supposed to be shedding tears of
sympathy, and where they are certainly
through some of their representatives en-
gagged in ludicrous course of political in
trigue.''
A quarter of century Of actual contact
with occidental civilization has not weaned
the king emperor either from dog SOUP
the moutang other charms that compose
the menu of a man born and bound in sor
Gerry and the superstitions of Chamansm
What might have been accomplished by
giving the king-emperor a series of strong,
ca pable foreign advisers 1t is not possible
to say. That Is pure speculation. The
writer merely submits that In view of the
discussion which the Korean delegation
hopes to provoke, the Korean treaty Of
1882 was founded upon fraud and was
therefore null anu void The Korean claim
ed that he had been civilized since -four
thousand years" 1t was not true. In the
fowery language of the Brton he was a
blooming savage" an intractable savage,
commerce with whom has been difficult In
volving the useless maintenance of a lega-
ton In Seoul. and the frequent landing Of
troops to collect debts and protect pro-