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| The streetcar garage in Seoul, circa 1899. |
By Robert Neff
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| A streetcar passing through the East Gate, circa 1899. |
The official inauguration wasn't for another week but out of prudence ― and possibly the desire to advertise ― the Seoul Electric Railroad Company (SERC) decided to test one or two of the cars and their crews (Japanese motormen and Korean conductors) to ensure smooth operations.
Along the tracks, "thousands upon thousands" of people jostled with one another as they attempted to get the best possible view of these strange mechanical monsters that they had been hearing about for months.
The weather was hot ― in fact, unseasonably hot and rain was badly needed ― and, as many of the spectators had been waiting for hours, tempers naturally flared. To maintain order, soldiers lined the streets but even they could not keep back the flow of curious and impatient spectators as the first streetcar left the station.
At some points, the crowd became too much and the car was forced to stop several times. To alleviate this problem, the company requested the aid of the Korean police. A member of SERC recalled:
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| Korean laborers working on the track for 15 cents a day, circa 1899. |
"An average speed of 5 miles per hour was maintained, except in one instance, where the track was well guarded, and it was impossible to resist the temptation of discomfiting the police, a number of whom had been instructed to run ahead of the cars; a rate of 12 miles was made for a short distance, quickly leaving the worthy policemen in the rear, to their great consternation and the indignation of their chief, who was riding in the car."
It was a complete success ― The Harper's Weekly, an American magazine, even declared it to be "the first step towards civilization in 'the Hermit Kingdom.'" But Korea's path to Western modernization was fraught with the stumbling blocks of its culture.
According to the SERC:
"For ages past, men in [Korea] have worn huge straw hats when in mourning for the loss of a relative. These hats are truly of enormous size ― at least as large as a bushel basket ― and the [Koreans] have drifted into the custom of wearing them as sunbonnets."
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| A streetcar filled with male passengers wearing hats, circa 1899. |
This "ancient practice" would not be tolerated on the cars ― wearers of the hat would be charged triple fares. Depending on the distance, the normal fare was from two to 15 cents and was considerably cheaper than being conveyed in a sedan chair carried on the shoulders of coolies (laborers or bearers).
Partially due to the streetcars, other traditions were abandoned. The closing of the city gates at night ceased, as did the curfew banning men from the streets at night. Women were welcomed as customers ― something that would have been unheard of only a few years earlier.
There was also the problem of spatial awareness. One of the first accidents was "breaking the leg of a dog, who was rather indifferent about getting out of the way." It wasn't the last to fall victim to the wheels of modernization as we will see tomorrow.
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| A streetcar on the streets of Seoul, circa 1902. |
