13 Facts About Homer Hulbert

Homer Bezaleel Hulbert was an American missionary, journalist, linguist, and Korean independence activist.

Homer Hulbert was born in New Haven, Vermont, in 1863 to Calvin and Mary Homer Hulbert.

Homer Hulbert's mother, Mary Elizabeth Woodward Hulbert, was a granddaughter of Mary Wheelock, daughter of Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth College.

Homer Hulbert originally visited Korea in 1886 with two other instructors, Delzell A Bunker and George W Gilmore, to teach English at the Royal English School.

Homer Hulbert wrote a history book on Korea that became a standard source used in the US for around half a century.

Homer Hulbert changed his position in September 1905, when he criticized Japanese plans to turn the Korean Empire into a protectorate.

Homer Hulbert was not so much theoretically opposed to colonialism as he was concerned that modernization under the secular Japanese was inferior to a Christian-inspired modernization.

Homer Hulbert resigned his position as a teacher in a public middle school, and in October 1905, he went to the United States as an emissary of Emperor Gojong to protest Japan's actions.

Homer Hulbert was expelled by the Japanese resident-general for Korea on May 8,1907.

Homer Hulbert said that Korea and Japan have the same two racial types, but Japan is mostly Malay and Korea is mostly Manchu-Korean.

Homer Hulbert said that Korea is physically mostly of the northern type but said that the nation, being physically mostly of the northern type, did not disprove Homer Hulbert's claim that the Malay element developed Korea's first civilization although it was not necessarily originating Korea's first civilization, and the Malay element imposed its language in its main features in the entire peninsula.

Homer Hulbert said that in Korea there was a genetic admixture with Chinese blood that stopped more than 1000 years ago.

Homer Hulbert became closely acquainted with King Gojong and served three times as secret envoy of the Korean Emperor.