The Revered and the Feared: Korea’s Mountain Spirits and Hobgoblins
With Halloween just behind us, this is as apropos a time as any to talk about spirits and the supernatural.
Category: Korean Myths
The Heavens Open: Korea Is Created
Every year, October 3 is a national holiday, Gaecheon-jeol (개천절, 開天節), often rendered as “Korea Foundation Day” in English but literally actually means “opening of heavens celebration.”
The Supernatural: Korean Dragons and Ghosts
Written by Adam Volle and Stephen Redeker.Arranged by David Shaffer. Korean folklore is full of the supernatural: flying horses, phoenixes, three-headed fowls, pipe-smoking tigers, prank-playing and evil spirits, and of … Read More
The Dangers of Whistling, Clipping, and Shaking
If you are an expat in Korea, you likely think nothing of whistling a happy tune as you walk down the street or allowing your leg to shake when sitting … Read More
The Legends of Yi Sun-shin and His Turtle Ships
Anyone who has been in contact with Korean history for a day has become aware that Admiral Yi Sun-shin is considered to be Korea’s preeminent military hero and his “turtle … Read More
The Yin and the Yang of Red
On her “Red” Tour, Taylor Swift was quoted as saying, “Red is such an interesting color to correlate with emotion, because it’s on both ends of the spectrum. On one … Read More
Death by Fan
We have heard that the summer may provide a respite from the ravages of the coronavirus; however, we should be careful not to let our guard down too much as … Read More
Leap Month in a Leap Year
Original article by Shin Sang-soon. Supplemented by David Shaffer. If you take a look at your 2020 made-in-Korea calendar, you will see that this year is a leap year. And … Read More