Hendrick Hamel (1630 – after 1692) was a Dutch sailor. He notably provided the first Western account of Korea.

Little is known of Hamel's early life and life after his journey to Korea. He was born in the Netherlands in 1630, and sailed to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1650.

In 1653, while sailing to Japan, Hamel and his crew were shipwrecked on Jeju Island of Joseon, then the state on the Korean peninsula. Because of Joseon's isolationist policies, they were refused permission to leave the country. Hamel ended up spending thirteen years in Joseon, until he escaped to a Dutch trading mission on Dejima island, Japan in 1666. There, he wrote the earliest first-hand account of a Westerner in Korea, "Hamel's Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea, 1653-1666" which was subsequently published in the Netherlands in 1668.

In recent years, Hamel has become a means and symbol of cultural and economic exchange between the Netherlands and South Korea. A number of monuments exist to him in both countries.

Early life and career 
Hendrick Hamel was born in 1630 in Gorinchem, Netherlands. Little is known of his early life.

In 1650, he sailed to the Dutch East Indies where he found work as a bookkeeper with the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

Korea

Jeju 
On 17 August 1653, while sailing to Japan on the ship "De Sperwer" ("The Sparrowhawk"), Hamel and thirty-five other crewmates survived a deadly shipwreck on the island Gapado, which itself was off the coast of Jeju Island, Joseon (now part of South Korea). Four days later, Hamel and his crew were taken to Jeju City. After meeting with the travelers, the local prefect Yi Wonjin sent an announcement to King Hyojong of Joseon that described the situation and requested advice on how to deal with the Dutchmen. In October, the local government brought Jan Janse Weltevree, a Dutchman who himself had become shipwrecked on Korea 27 years prior, to converse with Hamel and his crew. With the help of Weltevree, the Dutchmen formed a positive relationship with Yi Wonjin.

Several months into their stay on Jeju, Yi Wonjin was replaced by a new prefect, who was cruel to Hamel and his crew. Soon after the new prefect replaced Yi Wonjin, he received a response to Yi Wonjin's announcement that had been sent to the Joseon court months earlier. Although the announcement dismissed any chance of the crew's release, it declared that the Korean government had "a moral obligation to ease their existence," It also called for the castaways to be sent to Seoul.

Seoul 
In June 1655, after spending nearly a year on Jeju, Hamel and the others were taken to Seoul, the capital of Joseon. Once Hamel and his crew arrived, they were taken before king Hyojong. With the help of Weltevree, they begged the king to release them so they could return home to their wives and children. The king denied their request, citing official policy. The king then asked the Dutchmen to entertain him with song and dance from their home country.

As was the customary treatment of foreigners at the time, the government forbade Hamel and his crew from leaving the country. However, they were given freedom to live relatively normal lives in Korean society. During their two years in Seoul, Hamel and his crew served in the king's guard. They lived in a complex administered by Korean landlords and, in addition to their duties in the king's guard, performed domestic chores for their landlords. Outside of these duties, Hamel and his crew were permitted to live relatively normal lives.

In 1656, two of Hamel's crew caused a disturbance when they ambushed a Manchu envoy on its way to Seoul and begged the Manchu officials to help them escape. Because of this, and mounting pressure to dispose of the Dutchmen, in 1657, King Hyojong banished Hamel and his crew to a military garrison in Jeolla Province on the Southwest corner of the peninsula.

Jeolla Province 
Hamel and his crew spent seven years in Jeolla, where they acquired "houses, households and gardens, all nicely set up after the customs of the country." Much of their well-being and comfort depended on the attitude of the commandant in charge. Some commandants were crueler than others, burdening Hamel and his crew with extra duties. At one point, Hamel and his crew resorted to begging, a vocation they actually found rewarding since, as foreigners, they had no trouble drawing a large crowd. At least one of these men founded the Byeongyeong Nam clan.

Escape to Japan 
Because of a local famine from 1659 to 1663, Korean officials at the garrison decided to divide the burden of hosting the Dutchmen between three different areas. Of the twenty-two Dutchmen still alive, five went to Suncheon, five went to Namwon, and twelve, including Hamel, went to the headquarters of the Left Provincial Naval District, near modern-day Yeosu.

Situated on the water, Hamel and the group at the naval district quickly recognized they were in an excellent position to escape. Down to eight from the original twelve, the group slowly gathered supplies and negotiated the purchase of a small fishing boat from a local Korean. On 4 September 1666, an especially dark day with good tidal conditions, the men left their compound, loaded their boat, and headed out to sea. Four days later, Japanese boats found Hamel and his crew near the Goto island chain.

Hamel and seven of his crewmates managed to escape to Japan where the Dutch operated a small trade mission on an artificial island in the Nagasaki harbor called Dejima. During the negotiations, per Hamel's request, the Japanese inquired about the remaining crewmen in Korea. Two years later, the Japanese secured their release as well.

During his time in Nagasaki (September 1666 to October 1667) Hamel wrote his account of his time in Korea. From here, Hamel and his crew left to Batavia (modern day Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies in late 1667. Although his crew continued on to the Netherlands in 1668, Hamel himself stayed in Batavia until 1670 trying, in vain, to secure fourteen years of back salary from the Dutch East India Company. Once his crew returned to the Netherlands, experts believe they had three versions of Hamel's original manuscript published in 1668.

Later life 
According to Professor Henny Savenije, it is not known when Hamel returned to the Netherlands. A handwritten document dated to around 1734 states that Hamel settled back in Gorinchem around 1670. He eventually possibly went back to the Indies, and back to the Netherlands by 1690. He was still a bachelor and unmarried by 1692.

Legacy
Hamel's book was translated into French in 1670, German in 1672, and English in 1705. These editions were republished and retranslated several times, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. While the text contained no examples of hangul, it does contain one of the earliest Western accounts of Koreans using a script other than Chinese.

Hamel's legacy has become a means of cultural and economic exchange between the Netherlands and South Korea, and memorials to him exist in both countries.

Memorials in the Netherlands 

On 7 July 1930, a street in the Linge district of Gorinchem was named "Hendrick Hamel Street" () in his honor. The street still bears his name. Two similar statues exist of Hamel, one in Gorinchem and another in Gangjin County, South Korea. On 4 June 2015, the Hendrick Hamel Museum opened in Gorinchem. The museum was established via a 2009 agreement between the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hamel Foundation. A Hamel-themed art exhibition was hosted in Gorinchem in 2016, featuring pieces by South Korean artists.

Memorials in South Korea 
There are several museums and monuments to Hamel in South Korea. A museum exists in Gangjin, an exhibition hall shaped like a ship exists on Jeju Island, and a . A 10-meter-tall "Hamel Lighthouse" also stands in Yeosu, South Korea. On 30 December 1997, a  was designated as a natural monument of South Korea.

In 2012, the Dutch Nationaal Archief donated a copy of Hamel's journal to the Yeosu Hamel Museum.

Honors 

The Association for Korean Studies in Europe offers a Hendrik Hamel Prize for Korean Studies. Since 2003, the Dutch Business Council of Korea has awarded a Hamel Trade Award to Dutch companies that do business in South Korea. On 7 October 2015, the Dutch airline company KLM dedicated a Hamel-themed Delft Blue house to a South Korean businessman.

In popular culture
 The character William in the 2007 manhwa  and its 2009 South Korean television adaptation is based on Hamel. Parts of the show's story and some of its other characters are also based on parts of Hamel's journal.

See also
Gregorio Céspedes
Jan Jansz Weltevree
Hermit Kingdom
Dutch East Indies
Dutch Formosa

Notes and references

Notes

References

Further reading 
 Corea, Without and Within, Hendrick Hamel's narrative of captivity and travels in Corea, annotated, by William Elliot Griffis, Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1885.
 Coree-Korea 1653-1666 (Itineraria Asiatica: Korea), Hendrik Hamel, Orchid Press, Thailand, ASIN 9748299481, 1981.

External links
 
 
 Hendrick Hamel Museum (Netherlands)
  – YouTuber visits sites related to Hamel's journey (in Dutch, English, and Korean)

1630 births
1692 deaths
People from Gorinchem
History of Korea
Dutch journalists
Dutch Golden Age writers
Sailors on ships of the Dutch East India Company
17th-century Dutch explorers
Jeju Province
Dutch expatriates in Korea
Dutch East India Company people
헨드릭 하멜(, 1630년 8월 20일 ~ 1692년 2월 12일)은 네덜란드 동인도 회사(, VOC) 소속 선원이자 서기이다. 고향은 네덜란드 호린험이고 1653년에서 1666년까지 조선에 억류당했다.

조선 체류

제주도 
1653년 스페르베르('De Sperwer'/'the Sparrowhawk', 네덜란드어로 새매)호를 타고 일본 나가사키로 향하던 중, 제주도 인근 해역에서 폭풍을 만나 제주도 해안에 좌초한다. 이때 버려진 배를 이용해 탈출하려 했으나 돛대가 부러져 무산된다. 당시 조선 효종의 명으로 이 사람들은 한양으로 즉시 압송되었다.

박연과 조우 
한양에서 하멜과 비슷한 경로로 조선에 표류하여 훈련도감 근무자로서 귀화한 박연(얀 반스 벨테브레)의 통역을 이용하여 국왕을 호위하는 부대원으로서 체류는 허락받았으나 일본이나 중국 등을 이용해 귀국은 "조선에서는 이방인을 외부에 보내지 않는다"라면서 금지되었다. 이 사람들은 한양에 체류하였으나 조정에 감시받았다.

두 번째 탈출 계획 
그 사람들의 두 번째 탈출 계획은 조선에 온 청 사신에게 호소하여 국외로 탈출하려는 계획이였다. 사건의 전모인즉 헨드릭 얀스와 헨드릭 얀스 보스는 네덜란드어로 호소했으나 청 사신과 대화되지 않아 실패하였다. 두 번째 탈출 계획 실패를 두고서 하멜은 일본 관리의 심문에서 사신이 국왕에게 매수되었기 때문이라 설명하였다.

분산 
조선 효종이 죽은 1659년 후 현종 1년에서 3년 닥친 식량난 때문에 그 사람들은 각각 분산되어 남원, 순천, 좌수영 이 세곳에 보내져 7년간 억류당했다.

일본으로 탈출 
심각한 식량난과 일부 관리들의 학대에 시달리던 22명 중, 하멜을 포함한 헨드릭 하멜, 호버트 데니슨, 마테우스 에보켄, 얀 피터슨, 헤릿 얀슨, 코넬리스 데릭스, 베네딕투스 클레르크, 데니스 호버첸은 어선을 타고 탈출하여 일본 나가사키 데지마에 도착하였으니 이때가 1666년이었다. 이 사람들은 일본 관리에게 심문받은 후, 약 1년간 체류했다. 1년간 체류한 이유는 조선과 일본 사이에 외교 분쟁이 벌어졌기 때문이었다.

고향 
그러다 고향을 떠난 지 13년 만인 1668년 바타비아(지금의 인도네시아 자카르타)를 거쳐 네덜란드에 귀국한 하멜과 동료들은 소속 회사인 네덜란드 동인도회사에 조선과 일본에서 지낸 12년간 받지 못한 임금을 달라고 요구하여 보상금을 받았다. 이때 하멜은 정식 보고서인 1653년 바타비아발 나가사키행 스페르베르호의 불행한 항해일지를 회사에 제출했는데 이 문서가 《하멜표류기》이다. 하멜은 평생 《하멜표류기》와 《조선왕국기》를 남겼다. 이후 하멜은 인도로 항해하기도 하였으나 평생 독신으로 살았다는 정보 외에는 이후 생활은 미상이다.

하멜 표류기 
하멜의 14년간에 걸친 억류 기록인 《난선 제주도 난파기》(蘭船濟州道難破記)는 부록 《조선국기》와 통칭해서 《하멜 표류기》로 많이 알려져있다. 네덜란드어 원제는 《1653년 바타비아발 일본행 스페르베르호의 불행한 항해일지》이다.

문맹이었던 선원 대다수와 달리, 하멜은 유일하게 글을 교육받은 서기라 조선에서 억류당해 체험한 사건을 날짜, 마을 이름, 거리, 언어 등 상세히 기록할 수 있었고 기록은 네덜란드 동인도 회사에 소속된 피고용인으로서 하멜의 해야 하는 노동이기도 하였다. 하멜이 남긴 기록은 《하멜표류기》와 《조선왕국기》로 나뉘어 세상에 나왔는데 조선의 정치·외교·교육·종교·문화·사회상·언어를 대상으로 해 서구인의 시각에서 당시 조선을 살필 수 있는 귀중한 자료이다. 그 후 네덜란드 동인도 회사는 《하멜표류기》를 근거로 조선에서 무역을 계획하였으나 일본의 반대 때문에 이를 포기하였다. 한국어판은 서해문집에서 펴낸  《하멜표류기》가 있다. 번역은 물론 각주도 있어서 읽기 좋도록 편집하였다.

현재 
하멜과 조선의 인연을 두고서 최근까지 네덜란드에서 많이 아는 사람이 없었으나 2002년 FIFA 월드컵을 이용해 유명해진 축구 감독 거스 히딩크가 네덜란드에 소개되면서 하멜도 알려졌다. 하멜의 고향 호린헴에서는 하멜 동상이 세워졌고 하멜이 조선에 억류당해 7년간 체류했다고 알려진 전라남도 강진군에도 하멜 기념관이 2007년 8월경에 완공되었으며, 일본의 나가사키 시에도 하멜 기념관이 있다. 대한민국 언론 회사에서는 한국방송의 다큐멘터리 〈KBS스페셜〉에서 서양인 배우들의 재연극과 네덜란드에서의 취재로 하멜의 조선에서의 억류 생활과 귀국 후 생활을 보도하였다. 2003년에는 국립제주박물관에서 《하멜표류기》의 육필 원고 원본을 공개하였고 현 서귀포시인 당시 남제주군에서도 20억 원을 들여 길이 36.6m 높이 11m 규모 당시 네덜란드 항해용 상선을 85% 규모로 축소해 제작하여 하멜의 제주도 표류 350주년을 기념하였다.

각주

같이 보기 
 박연
 윌리엄 애덤스
 표해록
 표해록 (최부)
 표해록 (장한철)
 표해일록 - 김대황의 안남국(베트남) 표류기
 표해시말 - 문순득의 여송국(필리핀) 표류기

외부 링크 
  하멜표류기에 관한 홈페이지

1630년 출생
1692년 사망
네덜란드의 선원
네덜란드의 언론인
호린험 출신
네덜란드 황금시대
17세기 탐험가
제주특별자치도의 역사
한국에 거주한 네덜란드인