Volume 1: The Beginning of Our Mythology
Included folk tales: Hwanung and Dangun | Buyeo and Goguryeo | Baekje and Biryu and Onjo | Silla's Park Hyeokgeose |
Seok Tal-hae and Kim Al-ji
Volume 2: Yeonorang and Seonyeo
Included folk tales: Yeonorang and Seonyeo | The story of Gaya | King Suro and Queen Heo Hwang-ok | Dohwanyeo and Bihyeongrang
Volume 3: Sun and Moon
Included Folk Tales: The Sun and the Moon | The Dog and the Cat
Volume 4: The Whispering Lady
Included folk tales: The Woodcutter and the Fairy
Volume 5: The Underground Demon King and the Villain
Included folk tale: The Underground Demon King and the Villain
Volume 6: The Story of Mok Do-ryeong and Hong Su
Included Folk Tales: The Tale of the Mok Do-ryeong and the Hongsu | The Five Friends Who Defeated the Tiger
Volume 7: The Toad Who Repaid a Kindness
Included Folk Tales: The Toad Who Repaid a Kindness | The Scholar and the Magpie
Volume 8: The Four Talented Brothers
Included Folk Tales: The Four Talented Brothers | The Daughter-in-Law's Rock
Volume 9, Half
Included Folk Tales: The Half | The Wise Wife
Volume 10: The Rabbit Who Visited the Dragon Palace
Included folk tale: The rabbit who visited the dragon palace

A collection of children's folk tales published by Hwang Seok-yeong, a master of Korean literature!

Hwang Seok-young, a writer who has represented Korean literature for over 60 years since his debut in 1962.
His literature, which was never hesitant to touch on the painful aspects of the times and was always sincere in revealing our traditions, always contained the 'story of the people.'
The 80-year-old veteran writer Hwang Sok-young has now chosen 'folk tales' as he approaches the end of his literary journey.
Author Hwang Seok-young, who called his own novels “folk tale realism,” is now publishing a collection of folk tales in which the characters are not the motifs or backgrounds of the work, but rather the proud protagonists.

The lives and emotions of the common people, and our roots, contained in folk tales!

Our folk tales, which take on a variety of forms depending on the era and region, contain the hardships of the common people's lives and their desire to overcome them.
It contains the spirit of 'Shinmyeong' who does not succumb to pain and despair, but overcomes adversity with laughter and hope through dance, song, and storytelling.
Our countless stories have evolved in diverse ways along with our turbulent history, and their combined strength has created the content powerhouse that is South Korea today.
The roots of Korean culture, represented by K-POP and K-content, are our stories, our 'folk tales.'


Reading folk tales is also an act of reading the history of our people and the roots of our identity.
The children who will lead the Republic of Korea will grow up to be global citizens, not just citizens of one country.
In order to go out into the wide world and communicate with various people, it is important to first know 'myself'.
Only by knowing your roots and establishing your identity can you avoid losing your bearings, understand differences, and engage with the world.
Author Hwang Seok-young emphasizes that our folk tales play an important role in establishing that identity.


However, as entertainment such as television, YouTube, and games have increased, the space for our folk tales has become increasingly limited.
Also, as nuclear families have become more common, it has become rare to hear old stories from grandparents.
With a sense of responsibility for the unfortunate reality that our folk tales are gradually being forgotten, author Hwang Seok-young set out to ‘restore folk tales.’


50 books and 150 stories, honed over 60 years by a master of the times.

Author Hwang Seok-young spent over 20 years collecting original folk tales that have been transformed over time.
We have meticulously explored folk tales written from various perspectives in various eras, including 『Encyclopedia of Korean Oral Literature』, 『Korean Oral Tales』, and 『Daedong Yaseung』.
We also went through the process of finding and comparing stories that were slightly different in each region, although they had the same content.


Among the many folk tales collected, we have carefully selected stories that help us understand our roots, stories that clearly reveal our unique "spirit," and mysterious and interesting stories featuring children and animals.
『Hwang Seok-yeong's Children's Folk Tales』, published by iHuman, is a book that recreates the stories that the master Hwang Seok-yeong collected and carefully selected over a long period of time through Hwang Seok-yeong's perspective and prose.


The final gift that the 80-year-old author gave to the children who are the future of the Republic of Korea and will soon become the leaders of the Earth, for the country he so cherished and loved, is "Hwang Seok-yong's Children's Folk Tales."


A story that tells us 'Where did we come from?'

[Hwang Seok-yeong's Children's Folk Tales] Volume 1 begins with the question, "Where do we come from?"


“As children read folktales and study history, they may sometimes ask questions like, ‘Where did we come from?’ and ‘How did we begin?’
Even children think about their roots.
So, since we are talking about our story, I thought we should start from the beginning of our country and our people.”_Hwang Seok-yeong

In this way, author Hwang Seok-yeong chose the founding myths of Gojoseon, the first nation of our people, as well as Buyeo, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla as a starting point to inform us of our roots.
The mysterious birth stories of the people who founded the country and the process of its foundation are told as if a grandfather were telling a story to his grandchildren.


“If we look closely at our mythology, we find many very touching and interesting things.
Also, although the main characters go through many difficulties, it is touching to see them overcome them and find their place.
“It may be a little difficult and stiff to read at first, but it is still content that must be known, so I believe that if parents read it together and help children, the meaning will be well conveyed.” _Hwang Seok-young

Dangun, born between Hwanung, the son of heaven, and a bear that became human, is our progenitor who founded Gojoseon, the first nation of our people.
Our ancestors looked up to the sky and thought of themselves as special beings loved by heaven and rooted in heaven.
The kings who ruled the country were also special people different from ordinary people.
So, our people's ancient nations and kings have mysterious birth stories.
Although they feature mysterious powers that are difficult to imagine in reality, folktales are not made-up fictional stories, but rather stories that contain the history, lifestyle, attitude toward life, and values ​​of our ancestors.


As time passes, society changes, and individual lives change accordingly.
Folk tales are passed down from mouth to mouth, including the flow of events.
If you understand this and read Hwang Seok-yeong's Children's Folk Tales, you will be able to grow into a strong child who understands our roots and reads the interesting stories our grandparents told us.