[One Sip of a Book] The Story Behind Those 15 Incidents...

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This article introduces 15 incidents that were reported in the media but whose details remain largely unknown to the public. The cases vary widely, including smuggling, pickpocketing, fraud, and theft. The analysis focuses more on the era and society that form the background of the incidents rather than on the individuals involved. For example, it covers the fire incident at HLKZ Broadcasting Station, Korea's first broadcasting station in the 1950s, examining the media and broadcasting culture of the time. The content explores the past and the process of change in Korean society.

Fortunately for The Korea Times, the insurance company eventually paid the insurance claim. According to the memoirs of Choi Chang-bong, President Jang Ki-young, staring at the ashes of the broadcasting station immediately after the fire, murmured, "We will start again." Some HLKZ Broadcasting Station employees truly believed the station would be rebuilt soon and even operated Korean-language broadcasts for a while by borrowing airtime from the U.S. military's AFKN. However, HLKZ, Korea's first television broadcasting station started as a private enterprise, never resumed operations. HLKZ ceased its business, and after some time, in December 1961, the government-led KBS was able to restart television broadcasting. Back then, when a young trader who had been a radio equipment hacker challenged Korea's first television broadcast, HLKZ chose channel number 9. This channel number has been inherited and continued by KBS-1 for over 60 years. - "The Burning of Korea's First Broadcasting Station" pp.30-32

The perpetrator of the Namdaemun jewelry store pistol robbery was finally arrested 177 days after the incident, on October 14. He was a 24-year-old man named Choi, who, following the usual pattern of precious item theft, was caught trying to sell the stolen goods to someone else for cash. He attempted to sell a bracelet in Dongducheon, but the jeweler's suspicion and report led to his capture. Contrary to initial expectations, Choi was apprehended not in Seoul but in Dangjin, Chungnam. The assumption that he was a discharged soldier was also incorrect. Choi claimed he had accidentally obtained the pistol while working in a restaurant inside a U.S. military base. Speculations that the motive was related to engagement or romance were also wrong. Choi stated that his motive was to raise money to attend an English academy to help him find a job. When he was arrested and a field inspection was conducted at the Namdaemun jewelry store, so many people gathered that, amidst the crowd, other snatch thieves committed additional crimes, creating a scene reminiscent of a comedy movie. - "The Namdaemun Jewelry Store Pistol Robbery and the English Academy" pp.83-84

The strange aspect was not the ship itself but the cargo it carried. There were many boxes loaded on order from a domestic trading company. According to a Kyunghyang Shinmun article dated January 9, there were a total of 233 boxes. The total weight was 148 tons, so each box weighed approximately 635 kilograms. Assuming there was no reason to deliberately make the boxes large considering the ship's load capacity, the size of each box could be estimated as roughly equivalent to stacking 63 to 64 rice bags weighing 10 kilograms each. If the cargo was divided into boxes weighing 635 kilograms each, it is likely that the cargo was high-value products. If the products were cheap, they would have been packed in larger boxes indiscriminately, and if the price per weight was low, the packaging size would have been larger. According to later confirmed documents, the contents listed in the 233 boxes were nylon bags. Thus, this incident became commonly known as the "Nylon Bag Incident." - "The Washington Mail Ship Carrying Trash" p.118

Around 2 p.m., workers succeeded in discovering an air-raid shelter underground. Near there, they found a Japanese Cheongju bottle. The group was filled with anticipation that a treasure chest filled with gold and diamonds would soon appear. However, that was the end. The work continued until 11 p.m. that night, but no treasure was found. Only a few broken pieces of pottery were uncovered. By then, they had dug down 3 meters and 60 centimeters. According to a Kyunghyang Shinmun article dated September 27, after Mr. Kang decided to give up the work, he said, "If there were even a rat hole, I would want to go in. What kind of disgrace is this?" Yet, he also said he felt relieved that the curiosity built up over the past seven years was finally gone. Spectators interested in the strange rumor were disappointed and kept interfering, saying, "Since you've started digging, shouldn't you dig a little more?" and were reluctant to leave. - "Searching for Treasure in Myeongdong" pp.171-172

Among the six suicide notes left by Mr. Kim, the main contents of three were made public in the article. Since the death was initially reported as suicide rather than murder, it seems that somewhere in the six notes, there was some record of his situation and thoughts just before his death. Among the three, one was a letter to a friend. It stated that he had entrusted valuable uranium to a foreigner staying in Tokyo, Japan, and that contacting him would allow retrieval of the uranium. The fact that the uranium was overseas rather than domestic, and that a colleague Kim met during espionage activities might be connected to the uranium case, strongly stimulates curiosity as if reading a spy novel. Another note was a letter to that foreigner, instructing him to hand over the uranium if someone came to retrieve it. This seemed to be a way to provide assurance, as the foreigner in Tokyo might not trust the person coming to get the uranium. - "Uranium and the Double Agent" pp.200-201

Notebook of Mysterious Cases in the Republic of Korea | Written by Kwak Jae-sik | Inmulgwasa-sangsa | 288 pages | 18,000 KRW

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