Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
Tigers and magpies, Korean folk art's odd couple, in spotlight at Leeum
Installation view of the "Tigers and Magpies" exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art in central Seoul / Courtesy of Leeum Museum of Art
By Park Han-sol
Without a doubt, the true scene-stealers of “KPop Demon Hunters” are an unlikely duo: a delightfully “derpy” tiger and its sharp-witted magpie companion.
What may seem at first like an eccentric pairing is deeply rooted in centuries of Korean folk imagery. In “minhwa,” the whimsical genre paintings that flourished in the later centuries of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), one of the most beloved motifs was “hojakdo” — a tiger and magpie.
It is these storied creatures that Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art spotlights in the special exhibition, “Tigers and Magpies.”
On view are seven works, including the oldest known Korean painting of its kind, from 1592, unveiled to the public for the first time from the museum’s collection.
Traditionally, the tiger was regarded as a guardian against misfortune and malevolent spirits. Folding screens adorned with tiger pelt patterns were sometimes placed in rooms to repel evil.
Scholars believe the early forms of hojakdo evolved from a combination of other popular motifs featuring these creatures: “chulsanho” paintings where a tiger emerges from the mountain to reclaim its authority from lesser beasts, and “gyeongjo,” in which birds caw at the birth of a tiger cub.
The 1592 hojakdo, left, and a 19th-century hojakdo, affectionately called the "Picasso Tiger" / Courtesy of National Museum of Korea and Leeum Museum of Art
By the 19th century, however, the pairing had taken on a new life in minhwa. These folk paintings embraced raw charm and unrestrained spontaneity. Brimming with whimsy and mischief, they reflected the imaginative desires and everyday humor of ordinary people.
In these playful reimaginings, the tiger is no longer a fearsome predator but a bumbling creature. With bulging eyes, a gaping mouth and lolling tongue, the animal was meant to caricature the aristocracy. By contrast, the clever bird stood as a symbol of the common people, unbothered and defiant in the face of power. Together, the duo became a pointed jab at the ruling elite.
The 19th-century hojakdo on display is a quintessential example. It’s one of the most famous depictions in Korean art, sometimes affectionately referred to as the “Picasso Tiger” for its expression that recalls the modernist master.
Curiously, the animal’s face and chest are covered in leopard-like spots, while the rest of its body bears the stripes of a tiger, likely reflecting the belief of the time that leopards and tigers were one and the same creature.
This work also inspired the design for Hodori, the beloved mascot of the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.
“Tigers and Magpies” runs through Nov. 30.