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Overview
When Yun Se-pyong unexpectedly announces that his impoverished sister in Chulla Province has died, he prepares funeral supplies and a letter. He tells an attendant to look outside the gate for a man in a horsehair cap and soldier’s uniform. The man is there as predicted, enters and bows before Yun. The narrative calls him a Kon-yun-no, glossed in Gale’s translation as a servant of the gods.
Yun orders the messenger to deliver the letter and bundle and bring back an answer that evening. The courier accepts, goes outside and disappears. Before dark he returns with a reply confirming the sister’s death at the stated hour and expressing surprise at the prompt arrival of assistance. After delivering the answer, he leaves and disappears again.
The journey is said to require more than ten days from Seoul, yet the messenger returns within two or three hours. This extraordinary delivery, rather than a described winged body or animal transformation, establishes his supernatural role in this witness. He is unnamed beyond the functional designation, and the text does not identify a wider species or give him a separate family history. The funeral context is part of the tale’s account of aid to bereaved relatives.
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 5, 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 5. Chapter 5, 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 journey is said to require more than ten days from Seoul, yet the messenger returns within two or three hours. This extraordinary delivery, rather than a described winged body or animal transformation, establishes his supernatural role in this witness. He is unnamed beyond the functional designation, and the text does not identify a wider species or give him a separate family history. The funeral context is part of the tale’s account of aid to bereaved relatives.
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 5Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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