Korea, as told by a Korean
I grew up with these stories — the history, the myths, the places most people never find. This is my way of sharing them
What I Write About
History, myths, language, and the places in between. Told by someone who actually grew up in Korea
There’s a side of Korea that doesn’t make it into guidebooks. That’s what this is about
The Real Dokkaebi: Korea’s Trickster Spirit Is Nothing Like the Drama
If you’ve watched Korean dramas, you know the Dokkaebi as a brooding immortal in a long coat — handsome, melancholy, cursed to live forever until the one person who can end his suffering finally appears. That version is compelling. It’s also almost entirely invented. The Dokkaebi that Korean children grew up with was something else…
Why Is the Korean Ghost Always a Woman?
Have you ever watched a Korean horror movie or drama? If you have, you already know the image. A woman. Long black hair hanging loose over her face. White hanbok. Moving slowly — or not moving at all, just standing there, somewhere she shouldn’t be. It doesn’t matter which film. It doesn’t matter which drama….
Gumiho: Korea’s Nine-Tailed Fox Is Not Who You Think She Is
You’ve seen her before. She’s beautiful. Otherworldly. She wants nothing more than to be human — and somewhere between the longing and the deception, she falls in love with the man she was supposed to destroy. That’s the Gumiho you know from K-dramas. From My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho. From Tale of the Nine Tailed….
See what catches your eye
Begin with what draws you in: a forgotten story, a local saying, a hidden place, or a piece of Korean history.
