KOREA. 



359 



Britain and Japan, entered into Feb. 11, 1902, 

 the integrity and independence of the Korean 

 Empire are guaranteed. The chief interests of 

 diplomacy, trade, banking, commerce, fishing, and 

 navigation are in the hands of the Japanese, who 

 in 1902 numbered 30,000. Korea, on her part, 

 agrees to raise her naval and military establish- 

 ments to a footing sufficient for her own defense. 

 In case of raising foreign loans she agrees to re- 

 strict herself to the markets of Great Britain, 

 Japan, and the United States, and promises that 

 no foreigners shall be appointed to places in the 

 Korean state service, that measures shall be 

 taken for the protection of Korean territory, and 

 that protests shall immediately be made against 

 any state or persons attempting to erect works or 

 buildings calculated to injure Korea's scheme of 

 national defense. 



No exact census has yet been taken of the 

 population, but the official report made for reve- 

 nue in 1900 enumerates 5,608,351 persons. The 

 population is variously estimated by foreigners 

 from 8,000,000 to 15,000,000. While copper, 

 nickel, brass, and some silver money is minted in 

 Seoul, the regulating coinage of the country is 

 the Japanese yen, worth 50 cents. 



Government. The present Emperor was born 

 Aug. 28, 1841. He is assisted in government by 

 the Council of State and 8 ministers Royal, 

 Household, Finance, War, Justice, Agriculture, 

 Education, Home and Foreign Affairs. There are 

 14 provinces, each presided over by a governor, 

 and 360 districts, in each of which is a magistrate 

 with numerous assistants. An excessive number 

 of officials keeps the country poor. Except reve- 

 nue vessels, there is no navy, but an army of 

 7,000 men, including infantry, artillery, and cav- 

 alry, is equipped and drilled in Western style. 

 There are 4 political parties, founded almost 

 wholly on clan and family affiliations, with the 

 common idea of securing as many as possible of 

 the Government offices. Much attention and vast 

 sums of money are devoted to graveyards, and 

 the national revenues are lavished on royal 

 tombs and the salaries of their keepers. 



Finances. The revenue of the empire, which 

 in 1902 was estimated at $7,586,530, comes chiefly 

 from the land tax ($4,488,235). There are taxes 

 also on houses, mines, and the customs ($850,- 

 000). The chief expenditures are the imperial 

 purse ($737,361), expenses of prefects, palace po- 

 lice, army, police departments, posts and tele- 

 graphs. 



The currency is in a very disordered condition, 

 native gold and silver being out of circulation, 

 and nickel coins, many of them counterfeit, have 

 some circulation at a heavy discount when- com- 

 pared with Japanese money. The Korea Society 

 of Tokio estimates the amount of money in circu- 

 lation in 1902 as follows: Copper cash, $6.000,000; 

 nickel, $14.000,000; copper cents, $890,000; brass 

 cash, $90,000; Japanese coins, $1,550,000; Jap- 

 anese paper, $870,000; Korean silver dollars, 

 $530,000; Korean silver 20-cent pieces, $150,000. 

 Most of the silver money is soon withdrawn from 

 circulation and hoarded. 



Trade. The lack of sufficient rain for more 

 than two years, causing a famine and much dis- 

 tress, has also greatly hindered trade.. Neverthe- 

 less, in 1901 the imports from foreign countries 

 amounted to $7.359,063; imports from Korean 

 treaty ports, $2,598,193. The exports to foreign 

 countries were $4,214,051 ; the exports at treaty 

 ports, $1,491,641. The import of nickel blanks 

 for coinage was $300,106, while gold was ex- 

 ported to the value of $2,486.689. 



In the Korean system of customs returns, 



goods brought directly to Korea from other coun- 

 tries figure as imports from foreign countries, 

 while those which are transshipped via China 

 and Japan are entered as imports fr&m Korean 

 treaty ports. There is no direct commerce be- 

 tween the United States and Korea, so that 

 American products, cotton, petroleum, metals, 

 machinery, etc., do not appear separately, but are 

 included with those from China and Japan. 

 Most of the cotton fabrics woven in Japan are 

 manufactured from American cotton, and the 

 same is true of the tobacco brought from Japan, 

 besides many other articles imported from China 

 and Japan. In 1901 American petroleum and 

 sundries were valued at $312,001; mills ma- 

 chinery and supplies, $249,000; electrical goods 

 and lumber, $236,621; or a total of $967,622. 

 Since Americans began mining operations in 

 Korea, in 1896, the exports of gold have steadily 

 increased from $692,425 in 1896 to $2,486,689 in 

 1901. The amount of gold produced in native 

 placer mines in the province of Ping-Yang in 1901 

 was 44,880 ounces, on which the Government tax 

 was $112,000. The export of gold from the port 

 of Wonsan in 1901 was $1,676,245. 



Communications. The telephone system is 

 being extended in Seoul, and from the capital to 

 Chemulpo. The telegraphic development in the 

 interior is about 2,500 miles of wire, in charge of 

 27 bureaus, employing 113 men as directors, en- 

 gineers, secretaries and operators, and 303 line- 

 men. The Morse system is in use. Electricity 

 is generated by the use of the Leclanche batter- 

 ies. Horse relays are kept at various centers to 

 facilitate communication with distant points. 

 Telegrams may be sent in Korean, Japanese, Chi- 

 nese, or specified foreign languages. In 1899 112,- 

 450 telegrams were sent, the receipts being $50,- 

 686; in 1900, 125,410 telegrams were sent, the re- 

 ceipts being $72,443; in 1901, 152,485 telegrams 

 were sent, the receipts being $86,830. 



The postal system, under French direction, is 

 in a very satisfactory condition. In 1898 the 

 Government engaged E. Clemencet, Esq., as ad- 

 viser and instructor, who expanded and modern- 

 ized the Korean postal service and trained assist- 

 ants, till now there are, in addition to the cen- 

 tral bureau at Seoul, 37 postal stations in full 

 operation and 326 substations for ordinary regis- 

 tered correspondence. On seven main highways, 

 with a network of postal routes, service is daily 

 in both directions. The secondary offices are 

 served three times a week by means of 472 foot 

 couriers. In the center, south, and northwest 

 of the empire each route is covered back and 

 forth in five days. In the north and northeast 

 eight days are required for each round trip. In 

 1901 1,703,000 pieces of mail-matter were carried, 

 and the receipts were $27,130. 



The railway from the seaport of Chemulpo to 

 Seoul, 26 miles, including a 10-span steel bridge 

 across Han river, built and put in operation by 

 American contractors, has reduced the time be- 

 tween seaport and capital from eight hours to 

 one hour and three-quarters. There are 11 sta- 

 tions and 6 trains daily each way. The same 

 American firm has built and operated an electric 

 railway in and beyond Seoul, which is much used 

 by the natives for daily traffic and for reaching 

 the mausoleum of Queen Min at Keum Gok, 

 15 miles distant from the Great Bell in the 

 center of Seoul. The Seoul Electric Company 

 has the largest single electric plant in Asia. 

 The American firm holds it under a mortgage, 

 operating the overhead-trolley road and furnish- 

 ing incandescent and arc lights for the city, the 

 former luminaries numbering over 1,400. Two 



