Walter Ulreich in Seoul: World Cruise 1932

Found recently four photos showing Seoul scenes from a World Cruise with the 'Resolute' World Steamer in 1932. All photos are out of an album, remains of the album pages are still on their back. All are 128 mm in length and 102 mm in width (including frame), in good condition and shot by a young American Ms. Mary Smith. As they are considerable sharp, I assume they are taken with an at least medium format camera and a wide angle lens. I wonder which camera that could have been in 1932? The scans are not as sharp as the originals, although scanned with 600 dpi, the maximum resolution of my scanner here.

Some information about the 'Resolute' and the world cruise 1932, which I found on the internet:

"The Resolute was built by AG Weser, Bremen in 1914 for the Hamburg America Line. There was accommodation for 290 1st, 320 2nd, and 400 3rd class passengers. She was renamed Brabantia and from 1920 was used in the South American service. She was resold in 1922 to the United Americana line, renamed Resolute and in November of 1922 began sailing between Hamburg, Southampton, Cherbourg and New York. In 1926 she was sold to Hamburg America Line, and in 1931 began to carry 1st class and tourist class only. In 1933 she was used only for cruising, before being sold to the Italian government in 1935 ... and renamed the Lombardia. She became a troopship for the Abyssinian War and was bombed and sunk by allied planes in Naples in 1943. In 1947 she was scrapped at Spezia." 1)

Advertisment from 'Country Life' 1931, a British magazine, founded in 1897 and still existing

Miss Mary Smith "was born to a wealthy New York family, and the gift her father gave her was a cruise ticket to travel around the world." Most of her album with the photographs of her cruise is still preserved. 2)

When I see pictures of this mighty steamship, I doubt the 'yacht-like design', but probably the word yacht had a different meaning in this time.

In 1932 Korea was already 22 years under Japanese government, the Japanese had a strict policy to 'japanize' the country. Japanese language, writing, Japanese family names and state Shinto, the Japanese religion became mandatory. Korea suffered till 1945 under the severe Japanese control.

Korea was established as the Kingdom of Chosen in the Japanese area, Seoul was named Keijo.

The South door, Namdaemun gate, under the Japanese named Nandaimon gate, one of the four main doors of Seoul, still existing

Street scene, all writings in Japanese

Amazing street scene in two levels, the shop is a tabaco store

Detail from above

Stairs to the Chosen jingu at the Nansam Hill

Detail from above

The Chosen jingu, Chosen shrine was erected in 1925 and was dedicated to the goddess of the sun and the world, Amaterasu and to the Japanese Emperor Meiji, who is thought to be her direct successor. The shrine was located at Hanyang park, the western ridge of the Nansam park. Under 1140 Shinto shrines (by 1945) in Korea it became the biggest and the most important. For the Korean people it became an abhorrent symbol of suppression.

"From 1925, school pupils were required to attend Shinto shrines, and in 1935 it became compulsory for university students and government employees to attend Shinto ceremonies." 3) On the many steps to the Chosen jingu the Seoul citizen had to bow to any of the small shrines on the long way, even Christian Korean were constrained to do so.

The Korean hatred toward this Shinto shrine was so strong, that after Korea became indipended, already in the first month after this Japanese sanctuary was destroyed completely. At the area of the main temple, a 'Patriot An Chung-gun Memorial Hall' was erected in 1970. An Chung-gun, a Korean independence-activist shot dead Ito Hirobumi in 1909. Ito Hirobumi was a Japanese statesman, general and the mastermind of the annexion of Korea.

On one of the coming weekends I want to explore that area, if there are any remains of the Chosen jingu. All my colleagues which I asked, did not even know the name of the shrine, this badge of shame is out of the heads of modern Korean people.