„Central Europeans in Korea: Alice Schalek, Alma Karlin, Fritz Hansgirg, and Many Others“ is a multi-perspective compendium of evidence about the astonishingly large number of visitors to Korea from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland, and Slovenia (or the respective predecessor states) up to the mid-twentieth century.
Carefully researched, spotlighting numerous previously undiscovered sources, and richly illustrated, this volume examines and presents testimonies and traces of these contacts, be they documents, writings, photographs, or works of art. Included are various cases of contact between Koreans and Central Europeans in Korean settlements on Russian or Chinese (or Manchurian) territory. The contact of Austrian prisoners of war and Czechoslovak legionnaires with the Korean diaspora in the Far East forms a rich side story. Overall, this volume bears witness to the history of contact between Koreans and Western travelers and the historical experience of Western expatriates in Korea as still being full of surprises.