My guest this week is Robert Neff, a freelance writer and researcher specializing in Korean history of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Robert first came to Korea over two decades ago and his work has appeared in various media, including the Christian Science Monitor, Asia Times, the Korea Times, Korea Herald and Jeju Weekly. He is also the author of two books, including Korea Through Western Eyes, which was co-written by Cheong Sung-hwa and published by Seoul National University Press in 2010.

In our interview, we discuss early contact between Westerners and Koreans around the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries, their perceptions of each other and common misperceptions, as well as Robert Neff’s favorite historical mysteries.