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On 16 August 1653 the Dutch ship " de Sperwer " shipwrecked off the coast of Chejudo. Only 36 sailors survived the tragedy. One of them was the Dutchman Hendrik Hamel from the city Gorinchem.
Thirteen years later Hamel together with 7 other sailors managed to escape and finally returned to the Netherlands. Upon his return he wrote a journal about his stay in Korea which soon was translated into several languages. This journal was the first written document on Korea ever published in Europe, and it was also the first time the West learnt more about the Korean society and its culture. Hamel's arrival also symbolizes the beginning of the Korea-Netherlands relations.
For more information on Hendrik Hamel:
Hendrik Hamel, "Hamel's Journal and a description of the Kingdom of Korea 1653-1666," translation from the Dutch manuscript, Br. Jean-Paul Buys, of Taize, R.A.S. Korea Branch, 1998.
www.raskorea.org
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