Reading traditional Korean folk tales for fun and reading them again in English

Let’s read traditional Korean folk tales in Korean and English!

The traditional folk tale is a genre widely read and beloved regardless of the era.

Transmitted from mouth to mouth over a long period, traditional Korean folk tales reflect the everyday lives, customs, joys and sorrows, and humor and courage of Koreans in the olden days. They are invaluable stories that can be enjoyed by people in distant lands and those who have come from afar and live in South Korea as well. - Kim Myung-Hwan (professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Seoul National University) -

As in the recommendation by Professor Kim Myung-Hwan at Seoul National University, reading old tales holds a special value. Publishing traditional Korean folk tales, which are thus meaningful, in both Korean and English, this series will reward children with both the joy of reading old stories and an opportunity to study English. Furthermore, the series has been planned so that it can be enjoyed by Korean children overseas, children from multicultural families in South Korea, and children around the globe as well. We hope that it will be used also as a good guide for naturally introducing Korean culture to foreign friends abroad as they are told traditional folk tales from Korea.

An Introduction to the Series

Out of the countless tales that are widely known to many Korean readers, 23 especially colorful and entertaining ones have been selected and edited into 12 volumes. Familiar to Korean children, stories such as “Yeonorang and Seonyeo,” “The Headstone Goes to Court,” “The King has Donkey’s Ears,” and “Kongji and Patji” will not only be fun to read in the original Korean but also heighten youngsters’ understanding as they read the English translations. In addition, children who know similar traditional folk tales from other countries can make comparisons, thus being provided with a fascinating approach to these works.

Table of Contents

    01 “Yeonorang and Seonyeo”

Long, long ago, in the time of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, there lived a young couple named Yeonorang and Seonyeo by the east coast of the realm. One day, Yeonorang was borne by a floating rock to the country of Yamato (present-day Japan) and became the ruler of the locals. When her husband did not return home, Seonyeo looked for him everywhere. Then she, too, was carried to Yamato on a boulder. Together with Yeonorang, she was sumptuously received by the people of Yamato. When the couple thus left their native land, however, the sun and the moon over Silla lost their light. The king therefore sent an envoy to Yamato to bring back Yeonorang and Seonyeo, who in fact had been the spirit and energy of the sun and the moon, respectively, in their home country. However, the couple was unable to return to Silla. Would the kingdom be able to recover its sun and moon?

    02 “The Mice Who Searched for the Strongest Son-in-law”

Once upon a time, a mouse couple living deep in a valley wanted to choose the best son-in-law in the whole world for their daughter, whom they had raised like a precious treasure. After pondering much, the husband and wife decided to embark on a search for a suitable match for their girl. The couple thus sought out all beings they considered the best and strongest in the world: the sun, the cloud, the wind, and a stone Maitreya Buddha statue… Would the mice parents ultimately succeed in finding the most powerful son-in-law in the world?