This folktale shows that the value of love and happiness can conquer evil. A long time ago, there was a prince who was very brave and a great knight. There was a princess too who was very beautiful and kind. They lived happily in a big castle. One day, a witch went to the castle … Read more
This is the story of a beautiful moon princess, but it is also a story about bamboo, a plant which was once believed to be sacred. Once upon a time, there was a young man called Ma Liang. He was poor and kind and helped a rich man to tend cattle. He liked drawing and … Read more
In this folktale, a good person receives a reward for his kindness, but then decides he wants more and has to face the consequences. Long, long ago, some children were playing at a seaside when they found a turtle. They began to bully the turtle. After a while, a young man came and said to … Read more
This is the story of a kind who was saved when a loyal staff officer sent a beautiful woman to the palace. Thousands of years ago, there was a country that was ruled by another country. The king was a slave who worked for the foreign ruler of this country. His staff officer was trying … Read more
This is a Korean “Cinderella-type” story. A beautiful young girl is mistreated by her ugly step-mother and her ugly step-sister. A long, long time ago, there were two sisters. The older sister’s name was Kongi and the younger sister’s name was Potgi. Kongi had a stepmother. The stepmother and Potgi disliked Kongi because she was … Read more
This is a traditional folk tale 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. Once upon a time, there were two girls—Jang Hwa and Hong Ryeon. They were sisters. They were very beautiful and nice. … Read more
In this heartwarming story, two brothers in a village show their love. A long, long time ago, there lived two brothers in a village. They were both very poor. The older brother had a little more than the other one: however, he had a larger family to support than the younger brother. One autumn, they … Read more
This is the story of a young man’s true love for his girlfriend, who he loved so much that he was brave enough to risk his life, fighting a dragon. Two hundred years ago, there was a princess named May Yee. She was born in Malaysia. She wanted to get married to a young man, … Read more
An original tale written by Ji-Young Lee from Korea There was a village named ‘Sa-rang’ in Korea. The village had two flowers that cried when a couple passed nearby. These flowers never died. Once upon a time, there was a couple, Soo-il and Soon-ae, living in Sa-rang. They loved each other so much that they … Read more
An early spring morning I woke up with a strange thought “Something’s gonna happen.” The weather was beautiful and the morning promised a perfect day. I was still in bed, enjoying the sun and fresh air. Suddenly, the phone rang. I got it and a strange voice said: “Good morning. Are you sleeping yet?” I … Read more