When a missionary, spy and friend of opium traders visited Korea
More than a century after Dutch sailor Hendrick Hamel published the first book about Korea in a European language, a handful of Western explorers visited its coasts and recorded their impressions in memoirs. In 1787, French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse sailed past Jeju Island and Ulleung Island, and 10 years later, Capt. William Robert Broughton of Britain landed near present-day Busan…
The 19th century saw a series of Western explorers visit Korea, with their experiences recorded in memoirs. French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse passed by Jeju Island and Ulleung Island in 1787, while British captain William Robert Broughton landed near Busan in 1797. British captain Basil Hall had a more detailed 1816 visit to Korea's west coast, describing a largely positive encounter that included Korea's first English lesson.
However, not all visitors held a positive view. In 1832, British ship Lord Amherst visited Korea with German Lutheran minister Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff, who had trained as a missionary and sought to open Korea to foreign trade and Christianity.
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- When a missionary, spy and friend of opium traders visited Korea koreatimes.co.kr
