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A Prophecy Published in the Korean Empire Newspaper in 1899
Source:
https://www.dmitory.com/issue/397654089
Issue/Humor - A Prophecy Published in the Korean Empire Newspaper in 1899
Anonymous Information Community Site
www.dmitory.com
Suddenly, I fell asleep and had a dream. In the dream, the Korean Empire had become the most civilized and powerful nation in the world.
I decided to tour the world with my friends, and we began by sightseeing through the landscapes of our own country.
Starting from within the city walls, I visited a place called Jongno, where buildings made of jade and stone, ten stories high, soared high into the sky.
Looking around, electric and telephone wires were spread in every direction like spiderwebs.
The roads were all laid out in a grid pattern, and it was very convenient as the paths for pedestrians and those for cattle and horses were separated on the left and right.
The roads were paved with thin stones so that dust did not fly, and various plants were planted in the center of the roads, which was not only pleasing to the eye but also filled the air with fragrance for the passersby.
It was hard to keep one's composure amidst the sounds of steam-powered vehicles and carriages echoing everywhere.
I opened the gates to visit the various markets, and there were piles of goods as high as mountains—items I had never seen before and whose names I did not even know.
When I asked about the capital of the merchants, the small-scale traders had millions, and the large-scale traders had tens of millions.
As I looked around further, I came upon the Han River.
I could no longer see steamships or sailing ships floating in the river.
Instead, crossing the river via bridges was infinitely convenient.
Parks were everywhere. Upon entering a park, amidst various beautiful trees and flowering plants, the people had paid to erect hundreds of jade and stone statues of those who had rendered great service to the nation, marking their achievements for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations. In the waters surrounding the parks, hundreds of decorations rose and fell with brilliant five-colored lights; the scenery was magnificent, and the sound of music made all the worries of the world vanish.
Entering the schools, I found them to be not only large but also numerous. As for the education of the people nationwide, ninety-nine out of a hundred were literate.
After sightseeing through the city, I headed out past Saemun (Seodaemun) and found a station. I boarded a railway that could take one anywhere in the peninsula; as I headed toward Incheon and reached Yongsan, I saw countless manufacturing plants (factories) on both sides.
Shortly after, I arrived in Incheon, where the harbor was full of warships and merchant ships flying the Taegeuk flag, and expenditures were hundreds of times smaller than revenues. After visiting the three southern provinces, I reached Mount Geumgang in Gangwon Province. The scenery of Mount Geumgang was beautiful, and it was well-maintained. Since Mount Geumgang is world-famous, tens of thousands of foreigners visit, spending their money, while the Korean people are the ones earning it.
Within a few days, I toured the three thousand ri of the land. There were forts every ten ri, so that not only foreign warships but even bandits could not enter. The people lived in peace, knowing nothing of nameless miscellaneous taxes or the horror of being arrested without cause and receiving harsh punishment; it was an era of great peace.
Wherever people who had served the nation went, the citizens took off their hats and showed their respect. Entering the Sanguiwon (Parliament), the scholars of the representatives elected by the people were refined. As they sat side by side discussing public affairs, one representative began a speech.
"Hundreds of years ago, our nation's existence was in peril and we were extremely impoverished, which was because both the officials and the people lacked education at that time. Powerful officials gave land to foreigners and the sale of government offices was rampant, causing the people to cry out and rise up. At that time, foreigners also said there was some hope for the nation, but the uneducated people believed the words of others blindly and made noise in ignorance. Then, the government vowed to fight to the death; among those who had silenced the people, sold offices at will, and oppressed the citizens through trickery, some realized that the nation would not survive if things continued. Thus, they exerted every effort to the death, cooperating between officials and citizens, and today our country has become such a civilized and powerful nation."
I was listening to the speech, which argued that it would be right to create statues of those who worked for the nation regardless of their ideology and erect them in Jongno to mark their achievements for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations, when I was startled awake by a "crack" sound. It was the sound of children cracking nuts on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the year of Gihae (1899)...
I feel such regret now that the dream is over.
It is not confirmed by the newspaper itself who wrote the editorial in the Jeguk Shinmun (Imperial Newspaper) on February 25, 1899.
Regardless, what he saw in his dream has become reality almost exactly.
And it didn't even take hundreds of years, but only a mere 100 years.
Source: https://cafe.daum.net/subdued20club/ReHf/5661699