5 creepy Korean creatures, both famed and obscure

Korean folklore features five eerie creatures: the gumiho, dokkaebi, changgwi, mangtae halabeom and eoduksini. The gumiho is an ancient fox spirit that can disguise itself as a woman and prey on people, while dokkaebi are capricious spirits known for their strength and magical clubs. Other tales describe tiger-servant ghosts, a child-snatching boogeyman and a darkness spirit that grows when feared.

The first written mention of dokkaebi dates to 1447 in the Buddhist text Seokbosangjeol, though their etymology and origins remain undetermined.

In the tale Yeou-nui, a fox disguised as a daughter kills livestock and people by pulling out and eating their livers.

Hojil, a satirical novel by Joseon-era scholar Park Ji-won, depicts changgwi as spirits that lure people to tigers and grow more powerful as the tigers devour them.

Funerals for people killed by tigers included immediate cremation and burial at the place of death, and the graves were marked off-limits.

Eoduksini is said to grow larger as a viewer looks at it and becomes more afraid, but to have no power over travelers who ignore it or do not fear it.

Published Oct 24, 2026 7:00 am KST

Korea Times illustration by Kim Young-moo

Halloween is just around the corner, and even though Korea does not traditionally celebrate with jack-o’-lanterns and trick-or-treating, the familiar prickle on the back of the neck at night and the whispering autumn breeze seem to be anticipating the time when the veil between our world and the world of spirits is thin.

For readers who would like to celebrate the spooky season, second-guess the shapes in the shadows of their room or want a novel idea for a costume to wear to a party, here are five Korean ghosts that might keep you up at night.

The "gumiho," or the nine-tailed fox, is one of the better-known Korean spirits, especially following its inclusion in the hit video game League of Legends. One of the game's most celebrated characters is Ahri, a bewitching and seductive fox lady who drains the souls of others.

This illustration depicts a "gumiho" disguised as a human. Korea Times illustration by Kim Young-moo

The gumiho also appears frequently in Korean dramas and webtoons, often taking the form of a beautiful woman and a romantic interest.

In the original folklore, however, gumiho are characterized as malevolent and ancient fox spirits, defined by an animalistic hunger and unending cruelty.

The folk tale "Yeou-nui" (Fox Sister) best showcases the wickedness of the gumiho. In the story, a family that wishes for a daughter finds a baby — actually an old fox in disguise — delivered to their doorstep. As the child grows up, however, livestock begin dying mysteriously, followed by people, as the fox sister pulls their livers out in their sleep and eats them whole.

The story ends with the family's son being banished for accusing the fox sister of the murder of the livestock. Later, he returns to the ruins of their once-prosperous house to finally slay the fox sister once and for all.

"Dokkaebi" are Korean spirits often characterized as tall, strong, horned men carrying around magical clubs that can grant wishes. Dokkaebi appear across many Korean folk tales, usually depicted as capricious and sometimes spiteful entities.

This illustration depicts a "dokkaebi." Korea Times illustration by Kim Young-moo

The first written mention of dokkaebi dates back to 1447, in the Buddhist text "Seokbosangjeol." However, the etymology and origins remain undetermined.

Stories about dokkaebi often start with a traveler who encounters the spirit in the night. The traveler is then challenged to a wrestling game against the inhumanly strong being, only for the creature to turn into a broom at the break of dawn. In other tales, a dokkaebi is tricked into removing a man’s wart in an attempt to gain his singing voice, or mistakes the sound of a traveler eating hazelnuts for thunder.

Inanimate objects are said to gain a soul over time and turn into dokkaebi, especially old brooms. This has turned into a superstition where some people avoid keeping brooms when they get worn out and avoid storing them standing upright.

While often not as scary as other entries, the dokkaebi is a spirit that has existed in Korea folktales for generations, and is a friendly — if slightly menacing — face to many.

A "changgwi" is the ghost of a person who has been killed by a tiger. After death, the ghost is forced to serve the tiger and lure in other people for the animal to hunt.

A "changgwi" controlling a tiger can be seen in this illustration from the Naver Webtoon "Barkhan (Tiger Brother)." Captured from Naver Webtoon

Changgwi are best known from Joseon-era scholar Park Ji-won’s satirical novel "Hojil," where it is described as a spirit that helps trick and lure humans to be eaten by tigers, and becomes more powerful with every human the tiger devours.

While "Hojil" is a work of political satire criticizing the hypocrisy of the ruling aristocratic yangban class, its depiction of tigers and changgwi reflects a time when the apex predators still roamed free in Korea's mountains, revered as "sangun" — the lord of the mountain.

In order to prevent people becoming changgwi, special funerals were held for those killed by tigers. These rites included immediate cremation and burial at the location of death, with the specially made graves being marked off-limits.

Changgwi have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, thanks to its modern characterization as a vocal mimic in horror media, co-opting elements from more recent urban legends such as the "Jangsan-beom" — a white tiger-like mimic rumored to live on Mount Jang in Busan.

"Mangtae halabeom"— roughly translating to "old man with a woven basket" — is Korea’s version of the boogeyman, a humanoid monster existing independent of context or folklore that is invoked to prevent children from misbehaving.

This illustration depicts a "Mangtae halabeom." Korea Times illustration by Kim Young-moo

In many tellings, mangtae halabeom is said to be a tall and lanky old man with a large woven basket on his back who snatches loud or rude children from their homes. He shoves the children into his basket, takes them back to his lair and prepares to eat them.

This writer's grandmother would often talk about a friend who was captured by the mangtae halabeom but managed to escape, describing a basket that was wider inside than it was outside, dark and full of crying children.

While its historical origins remain uncertain, mangtae halabeom still offers an interesting example of an archetype of a monstrous old person who kidnaps children — perhaps to teach children about the potential danger posed by strangers.

"Eoduksini," or "spirit of darkness," combines elements of a traditional ghost and the modern horror trope of a cognitohazard — something that causes harm when perceived.

This illustration depicts an "eoduksini." Korea Times illustration by Kim Young-moo

Unlike other Korean spirits, eoduksini manifests as a formless mass of darkness that feeds on fear. It is said to grow taller and larger as the unfortunate viewer gazes at it and grows more scared, eventually swallowing them whole.

However, eoduksini is said to have no power over travelers who actively ignore the spirit or do not fear it.

Eoduksini stands out among traditional ghosts as a representation of human fear itself — ballooning in size but dissipating into nothing when challenged or ignored.

An illustration depicting a Korean shaman / Korea Times illustration by Kim Young-moo

Spreading stories of folk entities helps keep their spirit alive, as well as the culture that led to their formation. That being said, if you want to scare small children into behaving or are looking for a quirky costume for Halloween, just be advised: Ghosts are drawn to stories of themselves. Make sure to sprinkle a little salt at your doorstep to keep them away.

韩国民间传说中有五种诡异的生物：九尾狐、独鬼、长鬼、满太哈拉贝姆和妖怪。九尾狐是一种古老的狐妖，可以化身为女子捕食人类；独鬼则是一种性情反复无常的妖怪，以其强大的力量和神奇的棍棒而闻名。其他传说中还有老虎仆役鬼、掳走孩童的恶魔以及因恐惧而愈发强大的黑暗精灵。

最早关于“独鬼”的文字记载出现在1447年的佛教典籍《石宝相节》中，但其词源和起源仍未确定。

在《妖狐》的故事中，一只狐狸伪装成女儿，通过拔出并吃掉牲畜和人的肝脏来杀死他们。

朝鲜时代学者朴智元的讽刺小说《虎之》将长鬼描绘成引诱人们去吃老虎的精灵，随着老虎吞噬人们，长鬼的力量也会越来越强。

被老虎袭击身亡的人的葬礼包括立即火化和就地掩埋，坟墓被划为禁区。

据说，当观看者注视它并感到恐惧时，Eoduksini 就会变大，但对于忽视它或不害怕它的旅行者来说，它却没有力量。

发布于2026年10月24日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

《韩国时报》插图，金英武绘制

万圣节即将到来，虽然韩国传统上没有南瓜灯和不给糖就捣蛋的习俗，但夜晚后颈熟悉的刺痛感和秋日里轻柔的微风似乎都在预示着我们世界与灵界之间的帷幕即将变得稀薄。

对于那些想要庆祝万圣节、猜测房间阴影中的形状，或者想要为参加派对寻找新颖服装创意的读者来说，这里有五个韩国鬼魂可能会让你彻夜难眠。

九尾狐，又称九尾妖狐，是韩国最知名的妖怪之一，尤其是在热门电子游戏《英雄联盟》中出现之后，更是广为人知。游戏中人气角色之一便是阿狸，一位妖娆魅惑的狐狸精，她能够吸取他人的灵魂。

这幅插图描绘的是一只伪装成人类的“九尾狐”。《韩国时报》插图，金英武绘。

九尾狐也经常出现在韩国电视剧和网络漫画中，通常以美丽女性和浪漫对象的形式出现。

然而，在最初的民间传说中，九尾狐被描述为邪恶的古老狐狸精，具有动物般的饥饿感和无休止的残忍。

民间故事《狐狸姐姐》最能体现九尾狐的邪恶。故事讲述的是，一个渴望女儿的家庭收到一个婴儿——实际上是一只伪装成婴儿的老狐狸。然而，随着孩子长大，牲畜开始离奇死亡，随后人也开始遭殃，原来是狐狸姐姐趁人熟睡时取出他们的肝脏，一口吞下。

故事的结尾是，家中的儿子因为指控狐狸妹妹杀害牲畜而被逐出家门。后来，他回到曾经繁荣的家园废墟，最终彻底杀死了狐狸妹妹。

“独角鬼”（Dokkaebi）是韩国传说中的一种妖怪，通常被描绘成身材高大、力大无穷、头生双角、手持能实现愿望的魔法棒的男子。独角鬼出现在许多韩国民间故事中，通常被描绘成反复无常、有时甚至心怀恶意的生物。

这幅插图描绘的是“鬼怪”。《韩国时报》金英武插图

“独鬼”一词最早见于1447年的佛教典籍《石宝相节》中。然而，其词源和起源至今仍未确定。

关于鬼怪的故事通常以旅人在夜里偶遇鬼怪开始。旅人会被这力大无比的鬼怪挑战，进行一场摔跤比赛，但到了黎明时分，鬼怪却会变成一把扫帚。在其他故事中，鬼怪会被骗去帮人拔掉疣子，以此获得他的歌喉；或者鬼怪会把旅人吃榛子的声音误认为是雷声。

据说无生命物体会随着时间推移获得灵魂，变成鬼怪，尤其是旧扫帚。这演变成了一种迷信，有些人会避免使用破旧的扫帚，也不会将它们竖着存放。

虽然不像其他妖怪那样可怕，但鬼怪在韩国民间故事中已经存在了几代，对许多人来说，它虽然略带威胁性，但却是一个友好的面孔。

“长鬼”是指被老虎杀死的人的鬼魂。死后，鬼魂被迫服侍老虎，并引诱其他人上钩供老虎捕猎。

这张插图出自Naver网络漫画《虎兄》（Barkhan (Tiger Brother)），图中可以看到一个“长官”控制着一只老虎。图片来自Naver网络漫画。

昌鬼最广为人知的形象来自朝鲜时代学者朴智元的讽刺小说《虎之国》，小说中将其描述为一种帮助欺骗和引诱人类被老虎吃掉的精灵，老虎每吃掉一个人，昌鬼的力量就会增强。

《虎日》是一部政治讽刺作品，批判了统治阶级两班的虚伪，但其中对老虎和长鬼的描绘反映了顶级掠食者仍在韩国山区自由漫游的时代，它们被尊称为“山君”——山之主。

为了防止人们变成“长鬼”，人们会为被老虎袭击致死的人举行特殊的葬礼。这些仪式包括立即火化，并将遗体埋葬在死亡地点，特制的墓穴也设有禁区。

近年来，由于在恐怖媒体中被赋予了模仿声音的现代形象，昌鬼的人气再次回升，并借鉴了诸如“长山魔”（据说是居住在釜山长山上的白虎状模仿者）等较新的都市传说的元素。

“Mangtae halabeom”（大致翻译为“提着编织篮的老人”）是韩国版的妖怪，一种独立于背景或民间传说而存在的人形怪物，被用来阻止儿童的不良行为。

该插图描绘了“Mangtae halabeom”。 《韩国时报》插画：Kim Young-moo

在许多传说中，芒泰哈拉贝姆被描述为一个身材高瘦的老头，背着一个大编织篮，他会从家中抓走吵闹或无礼的孩子。他把孩子塞进篮子里，带回自己的巢穴，准备吃掉他们。

作者的祖母经常谈起一位被“芒泰哈拉贝姆”（mangtae halabeom）抓走但设法逃脱的朋友，并描述说，那是一个里面比外面宽的篮子，里面黑暗，装满了哭泣的孩子。

虽然其历史起源尚不确定，但“怪老头”仍然提供了一个有趣的例子，展现了一个绑架儿童的可怕老人的原型——也许是为了教导孩子们陌生人可能带来的危险。

“Eoduksini”，或“黑暗之灵”，结合了传统鬼魂的元素和现代恐怖片中认知危害的套路——感知到的事物会造成伤害。

这幅插图描绘的是“eoduksini”。《韩国时报》插图，金永茂绘。

与其他韩国鬼怪不同，恐鬼（eoduksini）以无形黑暗团块的形态出现，以恐惧为食。据说，当不幸的观者凝视它、恐惧加剧时，它会变得越来越高大，最终将他们整个吞噬。

然而，据说eoduksini对那些主动无视或不惧怕它的旅行者没有任何作用。

在传统鬼魂中，Eoduksini 显得格外突出，它代表了人类自身的恐惧——体型会膨胀，但当受到挑战或忽视时，就会消散殆尽。

一幅描绘韩国巫师的插图 / 《韩国时报》金英武插图

传播民间传说有助于延续这些传说中的神灵及其孕育它们的文化。话虽如此，如果你想吓唬小孩让他们听话，或者想找一套奇特的万圣节服装，那就得记住：鬼魂会被关于它们的故事吸引。记得在门口撒点盐，把它们赶走。