Reflecting on Beauty Issue 16 Home Page

Jang Hwa and Hong Run A Korean Folktale about Two Beautiful Girls Retold by Jin Taek Lee from Korea Once upon a time, there were two girls; Jang Hwa and HongRun. They were sisters. They were very beautiful and nice. One day, unfortunately, their mother died, and their father remarried. Their step mother who was very ugly and bad gave them pain all the time. Finally, she made a wicked scheme, and she killed them. Jong Hwa and Hong Run became ghosts, and everyday they approached a country leader. The country leader asked why they appeared to him every day and they told him the facts. When he heard their story, he had the step mother arrested. Explanation of this story This is a traditional story in Korea. It includes the idea that beautiful girls are nice and ugly people are bad. Generally speaking, most Korean stories include that idea. I think it's extremely natural. A Korean proverb says, "After 40 years, everyone is responsible for his face." It means if someone is always smiling, his looks are going to change to a smiling face. More international folktales about beauty: Japan: Kaguya Hime, The Tale of the Princess of Bamboo Korea: Kon-gi and Pot-gy, the Korean Cinderella Story Mexico: Cenicientas, the Mexican Cinderella Story Taiwan: A Beautiful Lady Saves the King More on beauty: My Sister Ligia | Inner Beauty is the Real Beauty | Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder How Important are Good Looks? | In Search of Beauty | Communicating about Beauty Return to: Folktales about Beauty | Reflecting on Beauty | Issue 16 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007 - Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics .mag@gmail.com