"Hamel, Who Claimed 'Koreans Are Prone to Lying,' to Have Name Removed from European Korean Studies Prize"

Change the Name of the Hendrik Hamel Prize to the AKSE Prize

The name of Hendrik Hamel (1630?1692), who wrote in the 'Hamel Journal of the Shipwreck' that Koreans are prone to lying and stealing, will be removed from a major academic award in European Korean studies.

Yonhap News reported on June 22 that at the general assembly of the Association for Korean Studies in Europe (AKSE) held in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, a proposal to change the name of the existing Hendrik Hamel Prize to the AKSE Prize was put to a vote and passed.

Hamel Statue in Korenbrug, Netherlands. Hendrik Hamel Museum Website.

AKSE is an academic society for Korean studies led by researchers from Europe. Since 2017, it has selected outstanding scholarly articles or publications written in European languages, including English, and awarded a prize every two years.

Hamel was an accountant and secretary for the Dutch East India Company. While traveling to Japan aboard the merchant ship Sperwer, his ship was wrecked and he was stranded on Jeju Island. He was detained in Joseon for 13 years before escaping to Japan, after which he wrote a report based on his experiences in Joseon.

This report was published in various European countries and caused a significant stir. In Korea, it became widely known under the title 'Hamel Journal of the Shipwreck.' The account contains negative assessments such as, "Koreans are strongly inclined to steal, lie, and deceive."

For over 200 years, Hamel's records were regarded as the sole source of information about Joseon in European society and played a role in shaping perceptions of Korea. However, there has also been criticism that his depiction of Koreans as barbaric and rough distorted Korea's image.

Accordingly, the academic community has raised concerns about the existence of an award named after Hamel as a symbol that Europe still has not overcome an Orientalist perspective, and has been demanding a name change for several years.

Lee Eunjung, professor at the Department of Korean Studies at Free University of Berlin, told Yonhap News, "There are records that European sailors who read Hamel's book until the 19th century would speed up their voyage out of fear when passing near Joseon," adding, "Hamel is not someone to be commemorated, but rather a figure who should be critically examined."