Nonfiction
Korean Myths & Symbols Explained
The Folklore Behind K-Drama, K-Pop & Modern Korea
Behind the nine-tailed fox, the goblin-like trickster, and the black-robed guide to the other world lies a richer Korea.
Korean Myths & Symbols Explained is an inviting guide to the folklore, folk beliefs, and visual traditions that echo through K-drama, K-pop, fantasy, fashion, art, and everyday life.
Meet the mischievous dokkaebi, the shape-shifting gumiho, Princess Bari, the jeoseungsaja, the Dragon King, and the clever rabbit. Then learn to read the symbols around them: hanbok, mugunghwa, taegeuk, five-color palettes, guardian posts, village trees, talismans, masks, cranes, tigers, and more.
Rather than reducing tradition to a list of definitions, this book shows how Korean stories connect home and village, mountain and water, life and death, fear and humor, memory and change. Each chapter offers clear context, cultural nuance, and a question that helps you see familiar motifs more deeply.
For K-culture fans, curious travelers, readers of world mythology, and anyone who wants to look beyond the surface of a striking image, this is a thoughtful first map of Korea's living story world.
Inside you will discover
- What Korean myth, folktale, legend, and shamanic narrative can mean
- Why dokkaebi are not simply Western goblins and gumiho are more than monsters
- How color, clothing, animals, water, gates, and ritual shape Korean visual language
- How to enjoy contemporary Korean culture with curiosity and respect
- 18 original full-color illustrations that bring the symbols to life