Korean myths and folklore in dramas

A gumiho is a nine-tailed fox from Korean folklore, said to live so long that it can transform into a human. Old tales portray it as a frightening creature that bewitches people, but dramas often reinterpret it as a character longing to become human. Examples include SBS's My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010) and tvN's Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020).

No. Unlike a ghost, which is the spirit of a dead person, the dokkaebi of Korean folklore is usually a mischievous being that may trick people or bring them good fortune. Tales of its magic club, which produces whatever you wish when struck, are well known. tvN's Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016 to 2017) gave the creature a fresh interpretation.

A jeoseung saja is the messenger believed to guide a person's soul to the afterlife after death. In dramas and films they often appear in black clothing and a black gat hat, an image largely shaped by modern popular culture. Many works portray them not just as frightening figures but as characters with human worries.

The film Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017), based on Joo Ho-min's webtoon, follows a dead man who must pass seven trials in the afterlife over 49 days. The idea draws on views of the afterlife found in Buddhism and Korean folk belief, retold in a new way. It may differ from actual religious teachings.

The 49th-day ritual, called 49jae, is a Buddhist ceremony held on the 49th day after a person dies. It comes from the belief that the soul lingers during that period before moving on to the next life. Dramas often show it as the final farewell to someone who has passed away, though actual practice varies by family and religion.

Samsin Halmeoni is a goddess of Korean folk belief said to grant children and watch over newborns. One old tale says the bluish birthmark on a baby's bottom is where she smacked the baby to hurry it out into the world. In fantasy dramas she sometimes appears as a figure connected to birth and destiny.

In the Dangun myth, a bear and a tiger who wished to become human were given mugwort and garlic and told to avoid sunlight for 100 days. According to Samguk Yusa, the tiger gave up, while the bear became a woman after 21 days, and her son Dangun founded Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. Korea celebrates National Foundation Day on October 3.

The haechi, also called haetae, is a mythical creature believed to tell right from wrong. Stone haechi statues can be seen at palaces, including in front of Gwanghwamun Gate, and Seoul adopted the haechi as the city's symbol in 2008. It sometimes appears in historical or fantasy dramas as a guardian of justice.

Gyeonu and Jiknyeo are two lovers separated as punishment from heaven who may meet only once a year, on Chilseok, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Magpies and crows form a bridge for them, which is called Ojakgyo. Dramas often reference the tale to describe lovers reunited after a long separation.

In this Korean folktale, a woodcutter hides the feathered robe of a heavenly maiden bathing in a pond so she cannot return to the sky, and the two live together. In a widely known ending, she finds the robe after having children and flies back to heaven, though endings differ between versions. Dramas use it as a metaphor for fated meetings or partings.

SBS's The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016) took its motif from a mermaid tale in Eou Yadam, a collection of anecdotes compiled by Yu Mong-in in the Joseon era. The book tells of a county magistrate, Kim Dam-ryeong, who released a captured mermaid back into the sea. The drama turned this into a modern romance.

In Korean horror, the virgin ghost is often shown in a white sobok with long, loose hair. The white garment is linked to traditional mourning clothes, and the ghost is usually said to linger in this world because of unresolved grief or injustice. The image was shaped over time by old tales and then by films and dramas.

Han is a Korean word for a complex feeling of long-held sorrow, injustice and unresolved resentment. In ghost dramas, a common setup is that a spirit cannot move on to the afterlife until its han is resolved. Because it is hard to translate with one English word, foreign-language sources often simply write it as han.

An imugi is a giant serpent from Korean legend that has not yet become a dragon. It is said that after long years of discipline, or by obtaining a magic pearl called yeouiju, it can turn into a dragon and rise to the sky. In dramas and films it may symbolize ambition or something unfinished, and details vary by region.

Yes. Koreans have traditionally described the markings on the moon as a rabbit pounding rice cakes in a mortar. That is why the rabbit with its mortar often appears with the full moon of Chuseok, in children's stories and as a prop in dramas. It is interesting how different cultures read the same lunar patterns in different ways.

Jangseung are wooden or stone posts placed at village entrances or roadsides, carved with fierce faces believed to ward off evil and protect the community. They are often inscribed with titles such as Great General Under Heaven and Female General Under the Earth. In rural scenes and historical dramas they mark the edge of a village.

In Korean folklore the tiger is a fearsome beast but also appears as a messenger of the mountain spirit or even as a familiar, comic figure. Folk paintings of a magpie and tiger often show it with humor. Hodori, the mascot of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, was also based on a tiger.

Princess Bari is the heroine of a Korean shamanic myth: an abandoned royal daughter who journeys to the underworld to fetch healing water and saves her parents. In shamanic tradition she is also honored as a deity who guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Dramas about the afterlife and spirits sometimes draw on her story.

Mostly not. Dramas borrow the names and basic traits of folklore beings, then reinvent their personalities, powers and rules to suit the story. If you are curious about the original legends, it helps to look them up separately from the drama's own world-building.

The National Folk Museum of Korea, located within Gyeongbokgung Palace, displays materials on Korean daily life, folk beliefs and traditional tales. The online Encyclopedia of Korean Culture by the Academy of Korean Studies also explains many legends and beliefs. Check the official guidance for opening hours and how to visit.