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General Background

5 Mythical Creatures
of Korean Culture

If you like watching korean TV shows,

you might have seen already a few
mythical creatures in some of them. But
have you ever wondered what is the
meaning of each? If you did, then we are
about to introduce you 5 mythical
creatures of korean culture, which we
have already seen in some TV shows.

© PIXABAY

A mythical creature is a supernatural

being that its existence cannot be proved.
But since they appear in folklore
stories, for some people it is real. And for
others, it is just a legend.

Since South Korea likes embracing their

own floklore, you see them often in some
TV shows. Now, it is time to look at
them in depth.

Table of Contents
Gumiho (구미호)
Grim Reaper (저승사자)
Goblin (도깨비)
Inmyeonjo (인면조)
Haechi (해치)
Conclusion

Gumiho (구미호)
The 9-tailed fox spirit is an evil
creature capable of taking any shape it
likes. But generally, it chooses to
become a young woman to seduce
and devour men. Although it also feeds
on human livers.

In Korean tradition, the term 여우 (Fox) is

used to refer to women with a bad
reputation. Therefore, the legend of the
gumiho follows this line of approach.

© LOVEPIK

Even if it is said that they are evil

creatures, some legends tell the story of a
certain gumiho who wanted to become
human, and for this, she had to follow
several steps. Firstable, she had to find
the Gumiho’s true nature and keep it as a
secret for 10 years, and for a period of
100 days, must not show its true form to a
human. Lastly, the Gumiho needed to
consume the livers of 1,000 men over
1,000 years.

Another story tells that for a Gumiho to

be able to ascend to the heavens, she
has to get the energy of 100 men. To do
this, she must pass a jewel from her
mouth to the man’s, since the jewel
will take care of the energy. Guided by
her desire, the gumiho of this story
pretends to be a student and manages to
gain the energy of 99 male students.
However, when she tries to do the same
with the 100th man, he swallowed the
jewel. By doing so, he gained the
knowledge necessary to end the gumiho’s
life. Consequently, he hunted down the
gumiho and killed her with the help of
other people.

If you are a fan of k-drama, I recommend

you to watch ‘My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho’.

My girlfriend is a gumiho, k-drama © 천지일보

Grim Reaper (저승사자)

The grim reaper is the servant of the
the underworld’s lord (염라 대왕). Who
fulfills the same function as the ‘Death’ we
know. By this, we mean that his purpose
is to guide both good and evil souls to
the afterlife.

He wears a 갓 (Korean traditional hat from

the Joseon era) as well as a black
hanbok. Plus, it is rumored that he
carries a book with the death dates of
every living soul. 

Legends say that he manifests himself

as a handsome person before good
people. On the other hand, for bad
people he will manifest himself as a
strange and dark being.

If you are a k-drama lover, you might

have already learned about this character
due to the drama ‘Goblin’. And it is also
appears in a lot of different TV shows.
Take as an example the video below.

a short story of the grim reaper

Goblin (도깨비)

Dokkaebi, or else, the goblin, is a

mischievous creature that spends
much of their day fooling evil people.
And rewarding those who are good. In
fact, they love to play with humans.

In the past, they used to look like

mysterious humans, but over time they
took the shape of gnomes.

They can possess inanimate objects,

plus they can take their real form at
night. Besides, they always carry a kind
of weapon that has the name of 도깨비 방
망이, which they use to summon objects.

They reside in forests, cemeteries, as

well as in abandoned houses or roads.

An old legend tells that an old man

befriended a goblin who visited him in
human form, inviting him to drink and thus
be able to talk. However, he was
suddenly got surprised when he saw
the reflection of his friend, as he was
turning into a creature! That is when he
realized that he was a goblin. Feeling
betrayed, the man spread cow’s blood all
over his house, as it is the fear of a
goblin. Emerging victorious as he played
a prank back on the mischievous goblin.

If you are a k-drama fan, you might

have already watched ‘Goblin’!

Inmyeonjo (인면조)
The Inmyeonjo is a sacred bird that
has a human face. Which originally, in
folktales was the representation of war.
However, every country has its own
perspective on it. For example, in the
west they think of them as beasts of
death, like Harpie, while in the East they
think of them as gods in Taoist and
Buddhist legends. 

On the other hand, in South Korea they

believe that it connects heaven with
earth. And comes to earth when there is
peace. 

He took part in the opening ceremony of

the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games
as an important figure in Korean folklore
and as a symbol of peace. Although it
looks more intimidating than the other
characters of this 5 mythical creatures
of korean culture list, this one is 100%
good.

Haechi (해치)

© wikimedia

Haechi is a mythical creature that

appears in ancient legends of East
Asia. Such as in China, where they call
him Haetae (해태). And he is said to have
the ability to judge the right and the
wrong.

His appearance is similar to a lion, but

what makes it different, are the horns that
it has in his head. Which look like the
ones the giraffe has. Also, it has bells on
its neck and scales in its entire body.

People believe that this creature picks

up the person who acted wrong and
hits him with his horns. As if the
situation was not already bad enough, he
eats him up.

In fact, this animal looks into a

person’s heart and judges well and
wrongs. Because of this, the uniforms of
judges had elements representing it. Plus
the coffins were called Haechigwan (해치
관).

In the case of Korea, it was used as a

symbol of protecting the private
constitution, which inspects Joseon
officials and enforces laws, just like the
drama Haechi. The Haechi was carved
on the rank badge of the official uniform
worn by Dae-heon, the head of the
private constitution.

Even in modern times, you can find a

statue of Haechi in the National
Assembly of Korea and the Supreme
Prosecutors’ Office. By putting it there,
they are showing their will to be on the
side of justice and deal with the law fairly.
Just like the Haechi.

In addition, there are a pair of Haechis in

front of Gyeongbokgung Palace in
Gwanghwamun, as it is considered a
new way to fight off fires or disasters.

Conclusion
Even if most of these 5 mythical creatures
of korean culture, are actually not from
korean origin. It still interesting to see
their perspective on them. And of
course, to see the difference between
other asian countries’ beliefs.

Now that you have read, what do you

think? Is there similar characters in your
country? Let us know in the comments!

Also, don’t forget to visit my profile to

continue reading interesting posts
about South Korea! Click here

Fernanda L. Negrete
Fernanda is an integral designer and
korean language student. Who wants to
share about her travel experiences and
korean history.

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