the father of korea

here is an article that i wrote for the korea sun magazine. it's about one of my favorite korean folk tales...

If one looks just beyond the first appearance of this modern industrialized country they would find a wealth of cultural treasure. The stories of Korean heritage date back thousands of years and are greatly contribute to the contemporary culture of today. Arguably the most famous of these tales is the story of Tan-gun, the legendary founder of Korea. Although it can be told in a number of ways, here’s my rendition of the story.

Legend has it that Hwan-in (who was the god and ruler of all) sent his son Hwan-ung to earth to build a new country in the east. He was given three divine assistants: the clouds, the winds, and the rains. Hwan-in also gave his son the souls of 3,000 others, an entire race, to help him in his task. They descended to Mount Taebaeksan (now called Baekdusan), and Hwan-ung named this place Shinshi, “City of God”.

Not far from Shinshi was a cave that housed a tiger and a bear. Both animals witnessed the happiness of the humans under Hwan-ung’s rule and prayed to become human themselves. Moved by the animal’s prayers, Hwan-ung gave them instructions to follow in order for their request to be granted. He told them that becoming human requires great patience and perseverance. He said “you must stay secluded in your cave for 100 days without sunlight, and eat nothing but these 20 garlic cloves and this bundle of mugwort. If you can persevere through this, then you will become human.”

The tiger and bear agreed and followed Hwan-ung’s instructions. After a number of days living in these conditions, the tiger gave up and left the cave. However, the bear persisted and stuck to the challenge. As the dawn broke on the hundred-and-first day, a beautiful young woman emerged from the cave. The bear-woman was so stunning in fact, that Hwan-ung proposed to her. Soon after their marriage the bear-woman gave birth to a son and named him Tan-gun, meaning “high priest” or “founder”.

When Hwan-ung departed from Earth in 2333 BC, Tangun became the first great ruler of Korea. He called the land Choson, which means “Land of the Morning Calm”, and here taught his people about government, agriculture, worship of God, and other important matters.

This story has been passed down through generations for thousands of years, and occupies a special place in the heart of Korean culture. Although there are some who take the story as a literal truth, and some who make their own interpretations. Personally, I see the story as a narrative describing the character and struggle of the Korean people. The bear and tiger were representations of the different tribes. It was the perseverance of the bear tribe, as opposed to the strength of the tiger tribe that, led to survival through these very harsh conditions. Also, the name Tan-gun might just be a title, as this label had been given to kings of old, expressing how their rule was divinely blessed.

However this story is interpreted, one thing is for certain; the history of the Korean people is rich with beauty and sorrow, successes and failures, victories and defeats: it all depends on how you view it.