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Overview
In an unnamed county of North Ham-kyong Province, successive magistrates reportedly die in agony soon after arriving. A courageous soldier accepts the avoided office and carries a long blade. He first notices a fishy stench, then a mist entering through the outer gate. The smell becomes progressively harder to endure as the expected time of danger approaches.
After drinking heavily, he sees a fog-wrapped presence about fifteen feet high and several embraces around. No head, body or arms are visible, but two terrible eyes roll at the top. He rushes at it and strikes with his sword. A thunderous sound follows, the presence disperses and the odour vanishes. These are the features of this individual manifestation; an invisible body should not be supplemented with an invented headless humanoid anatomy.
The magistrate collapses in intoxication. Returning servants think he has died, but he wakes when they lift him to prepare for burial and angrily challenges them. Their assumption is not an independently established death followed by resurrection. The story ends with the disappearance of the smell. Neither the earlier deaths nor the sword stroke establishes a natural cause of illness, and the narrative is not advice to confront a perceived apparition.
Origins & earliest records
Korean narrative in historical English translation
Records & interpretation
Complete chapter, relevant introduction and ending directly read; claims separated from editorial explanation.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies
Chapter 30, complete narrative and attached introductory notes. Gutenberg page labels are not relied on as printed pagination.
Family & connections
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Primary records and illustrations
Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913), translated by J. S. Gale
Chapter 30. Chapter 30, complete narrative and attached introductory notes. Gutenberg page labels are not relied on as printed pagination.
Complete source section, attached editorial matter and ending directly read. The magistrate collapses in intoxication. Returning servants think he has died, but he wakes when they lift him to prepare for burial and angrily challenges them. Their assumption is not an independently established death followed by resurrection. The story ends with the disappearance of the smell. Neither the earlier deaths nor the sword stroke establishes a natural cause of illness, and the narrative is not advice to confront a perceived apparition.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translated narrative collectionGale, Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913), chapter 30Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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