The Korean Myths: A Guide to Gods, Heroes and Legends | Heinz Insu Fenkl & Bella Myõng-wol Dalton-Fenkl

Korea has sometimes been called 'a shrimp between whales' subjected to the whims of superpowers to the east and west. Yet with the K-Wave, a seemingly unstoppable tide of music and drama taking over the globe, South Korea now dominates the world's cultural arenas, while North Korea, the Hermit Kingdom', remains stubbornly isolated.

The Koreas share a rich mythic tradition. Both lands abound with holy mountains, Shamanic shrines and shapeshifting spirits. Tales of cunning heroes who trick unjust figures of authority and pious daughters who sacrifice their freedoms for their family still resonate in a culture that blends Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist philosophies with yet more ancient traditions and ways of thinking.

Heinz Insu Fenkl and Bella Myõng-wol Dalton-Fenkl show that myths are very much a living and evolving part of Korean society. In South Korea, cutting-edge technology co-exists with centuries-old Shamanic and Confucian rituals. In North Korea, the Kim dynasty reinforces its power by transforming dictators into legendary figures in their lifetime. Between, the Demilitarized Zone is haunted by the unhappy ghosts of ordinary Koreans aught in the conflict. Is the hope of reunification itself a myth?