Seoul's haunted streets

Korean woman circa 1900-1910 / Courtesy of Robert Neff collection

This is the second in a series of articles on “Korea’s Haunted Past.” ― ED.

By Robert Neff

According to many, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Seoul was haunted. Homes deserted after murders and lynchings had occurred during times of unrest were natural sites for haunting but not all ghosts were content with remaining at one site ― some roamed about the streets.

At a well near Cheonggye Stream and the Jeongdong area, women were afraid to go there by themselves ― especially at night ― for fear of being accosted by the spirit of a decapitated man who had been executed for some unknown transgression. Apparently the ghost wandered about seeking a drink to quench his everlasting thirst but was unable to do so because he had no head.

The area surrounding the Independence Arch was avoided at night because it was said to be plagued by restless spirits and tokgabi (goblins). Tokgabi were generally mischievous but could be extremely dangerous if angered. They assumed many shapes and often began as simple mundane items that had been corrupted when blood ― especially women’s ― was splattered upon them. Thus, it is no wonder they were often found near execution grounds, battle-fields and sites where murders or accidents had occurred. The tokgabi often roamed in legions and could cause whole neighborhoods or villages to become deserted.

Independence Gate circa 1910 / Courtesy of Robert Neff collection

For the most part the tokgabi’s exploits were rather childish. They would seize the sangto (topknot) of Korean men and throw them to the ground ― other times they cut them off causing the men great shame for the sangto was a symbol of manhood.

To prevent this from happening, men would wear silver pins in their sangto because everyone knew the little fiends feared silver. Unmarried boys ― whose hair was still worn in long braids ― carried little trinkets of wood garnered from the ruins of trees shattered by lightning.

When homes were threatened by these ghosts large sheets of red cloth were hung on the doors and windows as barriers. For four days the tokgabi would attack and as long as the cloth remained in place, the tokgabi could not enter for they were repulsed by the color.

But not everyone took precautions and not all tokgabi attacks were innocent. Rev. George Heber Jones witnessed the exorcism of a Korean girl in Jemulpo (modern Incheon) plagued by three spirits that battled with one another to possess her body. Two of the spirits were that of women ― one having perished by fire and the other by drowning. The third spirit was that of an executed man. What became of the girl is unknown.

Not all ghosts were Korean ― some were foreign. A Japanese ghost known as “Yobosang” roamed the darkened streets preying upon Korean women. Its predations became so severe that women began to carry packets of ground red pepper in their clothing as protection against its advances because everyone knew that the Japanese ghost could not endure the fiery taste of the peppers.

Near the Jeongdong area, there once was a large elm tree that had been allegedly planted by the Japanese during their invasions in the late 16th century. It and the soil it grew in was said to be haunted by spirits and demons ― presumably of Japanese origins. In 1885, a powerful storm knocked the tree down but the haunting persisted and no Korean dared to gather wood or build upon the area for fear of being molested by this malevolent foreign spirit. But Rev. Henry G. Appenzeller was not Korean and in defiance ― or more likely because the land was cheap ― he acquired the land and founded Paichai Hakdang School.

Westerners were not always spiritual champions ― they were sometimes antagonists. Roaming between Sukjeong (North) Gate and Gwanghui Gate was a horrid ghost with “a white face, yellow hair, blue eyes, and blood-red lips, and cried in a child’s voice.” It has been surmised that its intended victims were children. In the summer of 1888, Seoul was plagued with unrest due to rumors of foreigners kidnapping Korean children and eating them or using their body parts for medicine and developing photographs.

Sometimes Korean ghosts wreaked havoc upon foreigners. In 1921 there was a popular Japanese restaurant near Nagwon and Insadong. This area ― specifically Tapgol Park ― had been the site of the March First independence demonstrations in 1919. The feeling of Han seems to have permeated the area and manifested into a vengeful ghost that plagued a popular restaurant patronized by Japanese and Korean collaborators:

“Apparently from nowhere, blood fell on the proprietress and her customs. Whenever anyone in the restaurant raised his head, blood would drop on his face and clothes. The police were called in, but they could not solve the mystery. At the end of a year the restaurant had lost all its customers and the proprietress had been driven mad and was wandering in the streets.”

If you would like to experience the haunted streets of Seoul at night for yourself join Joe McPherson’s “Dark Side of Seoul” tour. You can find his site at:

https://www.koreafoodtours.com/the-dark-side-of-seoul/

Robert Neff is a historian and columnist for The Korea Times. He can be reached at robertneff103@gmail.com.