| Tapgol Park: during the day, a respite for the living, but at night, a haunt for the restless / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection |
By Robert Neff
Jongno is a very popular and vibrant area in downtown Seoul. In fact, Timeout magazine recently named one part of it the third “coolest neighbourhood” in the world and described it as “historic, eccentric and very unpretentious.” However, up until the mid-1990s, it had a much seedier atmosphere ― especially at night ― and was reputed to be haunted.
The dark alleyways ― once used by commoners to avoid encountering gentry on the main street ― seemed likely haunts for the restless spirits of executed prisoners, victims of accidental deaths and those who chose to end their own lives. “Han,” which has been described as a feeling of deep sorrow, regret and hatred, seemingly permeates the darkness, especially on rainy nights.
Prior to the pandemic, Tapgol Park (also known as Pagoda Park) was a popular spot for the senior citizens (especially elderly men) of Seoul to gather during the day and regale one another with tales from the past while playing games, drinking coffee and sipping an occasional cup of soju. During the hours of sunlight it is a most idyllic sanctuary but one with a fairly dark past.
The March 1 Independence Movement of 1919 began around the park. The movement was brutally put down by the Japanese authorities and many people lost their lives. Shortly afterwards, a Japanese restaurant was established nearby ― towards Insa-dong ― and was extremely popular with Japanese residents and Korean collaborators.
| A busy street in Seoul during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation / Robert Neff Collection |
Its success was its downfall, as it seemingly aroused the hatred of at least one restless spirit in 1921. According to the account:
“Apparently from nowhere, blood fell on the proprietress and her customers. Whenever anyone in the restaurant raised his head, blood would drop on his face and clothes. The police were called in, but they could not solve the mystery. At the end of a year, the restaurant had lost all its customers and the proprietress had been driven mad and was wandering in the streets.”
Not all of the ghosts in the Jongno area were Korean. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a Japanese ghost known as “Yobosang” was said to roam the darkened streets preying upon Korean women. Its predations became so severe that Korean women began to carry packets of ground red pepper in their clothing as protection against its advances, as everyone knew that the Japanese ghost could not endure the fiery taste of the peppers.
There was also a seemingly Western ghost roaming the streets. It had “a white face, yellow hair, blue eyes, and blood-red lips, and cried in a child's voice.” The noise it made may have been its method to lure Korean children to their doom. In the 1880s, there were many rumors (and testimonies) that Westerners kidnapped Korean children for nefarious reasons, including using their body parts as ingredients in Western medicines and photography. Allegedly, the children even graced the dining tables of the missionaries and the American ambassador to Korea.
Speaking of children, there was a ghost story circulating in the early 1990s of a haunted school in the Jongno area, the subject of tomorrow's article.
Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.