From the publisher’s website:
In this book, Wayne Patterson examines the recently found correspondence, journals, and photographs of William Nelson Lovatt, Korea’s first commissioner of customs in Pusan. These materials significantly advance our knowledge of a critical time in the late Chosŏn period. The study’s main theme is the transformation of China’s policy toward Korea from a largely benevolent policy to an increasingly interventionist policy to a kind of imperialism. A key bellweather in this transformation can be found in the customs service in which Lovatt served.
Wayne Patterson is professor of history at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin. His work addresses modern East Asia and international relations.