America’s first clash with Korea, 160 years ago in Pyongyang

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty record the confrontation in Pyongyang in 1866 in stark terms. A report submitted by Pak Kyusu, governor of Pyongan Province, stated that the foreign vessel anchored at Pyongyang had become increasingly violent, firing cannon and guns and killing Koreans. Korean forces concluded that a fire attack was the most effective way to subdue the ship. As flames spread to the vessel, two men — including the British missionary Robert Jermain Thomas — came forward asking tha