A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

The Sea King’s servants receive Sim Chung below the water and escort her through a palace of precious stones. He travels in a golden chair borne by one hundred men, followed by musicians and attendants. He knows the history of the stars because they visit his realm on bright nights, and explains Sim Chung’s former heavenly office, offence and banishment. He treats her with honour, allows her to recover and arranges her return inside a nourishing, fragrant flower.

The account gives the king a court and ceremonial procession but no dragon body, fish tail or personal name. It does not explicitly identify him with the hostile water spirit whose appeasement prompted the merchants’ sacrifice, or with the hooked fish king in Allen’s rabbit story. These roles remain distinct rather than being combined into a universal sea ruler.

Underwater monarch who explains a star’s former life and returns her to earthHistorical folklore notice
01

Origins & earliest records

Korea; accounts presented by Allen

02

Records & interpretation

Complete Sim Chung narrative and collection preface directly read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Korean Tales

    Horace Newton Allen, translator and narrator · 1889

    VIII, Sim Chung, pp. 161–165, within pp. 152–169

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Direct primary record

H. N. Allen, Korean Tales (New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1889)

VIII, Sim Chung. VIII, Sim Chung, pp. 161–165, within pp. 152–169

Entire chapter and preface read; brief notice kept proportionate. Narrator’s uncertainty and limits preserved. No individual teller or original Korean edition identified by the passage.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical English translation and narrative noticesAllen, Korean Tales (New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1889), VIIIResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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