In the early 1890s, one British visitor to the Korean Peninsula declared that “the chief sources of expense to a [Korean] man lie in his clothes and his pipe.” Pipe smoking was an integral part of Korean society - enjoyed not only by men, but also women and even children. Tobacco soothed the troubled-spirit, aided in the treatment of diseases and injuries and was even figuratively used to “reckon time by the number of pipes smoked.” An example given in an 1893 article was: “He only stopped long enough to smoke one pipe” - which indicated a very short time.
In the early 1890s, one British visitor to the Korean Peninsula declared that “the chief sources of expense to a [Korean] man lie in his clothes and his pipe.” Pipe smoking was an integral part of Korean society - enjoyed not only by men, but also women and even children. Tobacco soothed the troubled-spirit, aided in the treatment of diseases and injuries and was even figuratively used to “reckon time by the number of pipes smoked.” An example given in an 1893 article was: “He only stopped long enough to smoke one pipe” - which indicated a very short time.