Do you know who the first western in Korea was?
The first western in Korea was a Dutch man. He was out sailing his ship, following in his contemporaries Vasco da Gama's and Columbus footsteps, in search for yet unexplored countries.
Unfortunately, one day his ship wrecked! The only survivor aboard was our Dutch man, floating in the vast ocean holding on to a piece of wood from the boat.
At the same time, a Korean fisherman was collecting the days catch, when he suddenly noticed something strange appear in his net. He had caught our dutchie in his net!
- WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! said the Korean fisherman out loud while looking at the Dutch man, mesmerized by his blond hair and blue eyes.
- He must come from the Aqua world! the Korean decided.
As the Korean fisherman reached land, he brought his catch, our Dutch guy, to the Korean king, explaining he caught something that for sure must come from the Aqua world!
The Dutch couldn't make himself understood, and the king, a little bit afraid of this strange creature we can suspect, throw the Dutchie in the dungeon.
After some time however, the dutch man was released. And after further time, he found himself integrated into the Korean society. He learned how to speak the Korean language, he married a Korean women, they got children together and so on and so on.
Year after year passed, the dutch was happy in his new country, altough he could never completely really stop thinking, dreaming and longing for, his native land.
So one day, he noticed some excitement down by the harbor. Driven by his curiosity, that took him out on the ocean in the first place, he went to see what the fuss was about. Turned out, another ship from the Netherlands had reached the Korean coast! Now he could make it back home, back home to the Netherlands!
But as the years had passed, our poor dutchi had forgotten how to speak dutch. He tried to speak to his fellow citizens, he tried to explain to them the tragedy with the wrecked ship so many years earlier, but they wouldn't listen. Becasue they were explorers too. They had left safe Netherlands, to face difficulties and danger, to be at the sea for days and days, sometimes without anything to eat or drink, just for the chance to find an unexplored country, and the fame and glory that would bring with it. Of course they wouldn't listen to a man like the dutch man that was claiming that he was actually first, and stand in the way for all that fortune!
The dutch ship soon returned to the Netherlands with the great news that they had discovered a new country. And they all became rich and famous.
The dutch man was not allowed to enter the ship, and go home after all these years. He lived the rest of his life in Korea. He died with a dream to once again see his native country. But he also died, as the first western in Korea.
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