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They say that time is the most precious thing in life - far more valuable than money or luxury goods. People often freely (and sometimes, grudgingly) give and receive it between fr. ....
Often business is nothing more than the purchase of another person’s time. But sometimes, it takes a physical form. One of the earliest business transactions involving Americans and Koreans took place in the summer of 1883 when Kim Ok-kuin, a Korean official, purchased a number of items from James R. Morse, an American businessman who owned “The American Clock & Brass Company” in Yokohama, Japan. ....
In the summer of 1884, Korea was not a place for casual tourists or globetrotters seeking to impress their peers. It was especially not for missionaries lacking conviction and courage. Commonly referred to as “The Hermit Kingdom,” the peninsula was in the vortex of change. Christianity was still barely tolerated; there was animosity and mistrust towards foreigners fueled by the brief and violent encounters with foreign nations - France in 1866, the USA in 1871 and Japan in 1875. The peninsula was also gripped with a degree of political instability as evidenced by a bloody coup in 1882. ....
The morning of March 27, 1884 was cold but invigorating. Naval surgeon George W. Woods, a crewmember of the American warship, the U.S.S. Juniata, and a guest of the American ambassador to Korea, had arrived in Seoul the previous night with a couple other officers from the ship. Woods woke up to the smell of pine smoke and the sound of a servant stoking the fire in the “ondol” (underfloor heating system). Unlike his peers - who were still suffering from their trek - Woods was anxious to explore the city. In a letter home he wrote: ....