Why This Story Caught My Attention
I’ve always been drawn to tales where prophecy and politics collide—especially when the prophecy turns out to mean something entirely different than what everyone assumed. This particular account from Korean divination folklore struck me as especially relevant because it grapples with a question that still resonates: what happens when powerful people become so consumed by their own survival that they lose sight of what they’re actually fighting against?
For English-speaking readers unfamiliar with the historical context of 17th-century Korea, I’ve adapted certain cultural elements to make the narrative flow more naturally—but the essential beats of the story remain unchanged. The historical Park Yeop really did serve as provincial governor, he really was known for brutal administration, and he really was executed following the 1623 coup. The divination element that frames this tale exists in multiple variants throughout Korean oral tradition, each offering its own interpretation of why a capable administrator became a mass murderer.
What fascinates me most is how Korean folklore doesn’t simply paint Park Yeop as a monster—it attempts to understand him through the cultural lens of jeombok (fortune-telling), suggesting that even terrible acts might spring from misguided attempts to control fate rather than pure malice. It’s a more psychologically complex approach than you’d expect from a cautionary tale.
The Tale in Brief
Imagine you’re a powerful governor who consults a fortune-teller about your future. The diviner tells you that to survive an approaching catastrophe, you must “kill Ilman.” In Korean, ilman (一萬) can mean both “ten thousand” and serve as a person’s name. You assume it means the former—ten thousand people—and begin a reign of terror that depopulates an entire province.
Years later, standing on the execution ground, you finally understand: Ilman was the childhood name of the very man whose accusation brought you to this moment. The prophecy was never about slaughtering thousands. It was about eliminating one specific political rival. Your misinterpretation didn’t save you—it guaranteed your destruction.
The Historical Park Yeop and the Folklore Tradition
Park Yeop (朴燁, 1570-1623) appears in the Annals of King Injo and other Joseon-era records as a controversial figure who served as governor of Pyeongan-do province during King Gwanghaegun’s reign. Historical documents confirm his administrative brutality: the systematic use of torture and execution for minor infractions, the extortion of massive taxes, and living conditions so severe that entire villages were abandoned as residents fled the region.
Yet these same records acknowledge Park’s considerable military capabilities and administrative efficiency. He was credited with maintaining strong border defenses against potential incursions and managing the strategically important northern province. This created a historical paradox: how does a competent administrator also become responsible for mass depopulation through terror?
Korean oral tradition resolved this paradox by introducing the divination element. According to folkloric variants collected across different regions, Park Yeop was known to be deeply superstitious and regularly consulted fortune-tellers. One prophecy allegedly warned him that he could only survive by “killing Ilman”—which he catastrophically misinterpreted as a numeric target rather than a proper name.
The identity of “Ilman” varies by region. The most widespread version identifies him as Kim Jajeom (金自點, 1588-1651), whose childhood name was indeed Ilman. Kim Jajeom was a political rival who participated in the 1623 Injo Restoration coup and subsequently filed accusations against Park Yeop that led to his execution. An alternate tradition names Gu Inhu (具仁垕), the royal inspector dispatched to arrest Park Yeop, as the prophesied figure.
Following the coup, Park Yeop was executed in Pyeongan-do. Contemporary accounts report that enraged locals broke open his coffin and dismembered his body—a rare occurrence that speaks to the depth of public fury against him.
Cultural Context: Divination in Joseon Korea
Divination practices (jeombok) occupied an ambiguous space in Joseon society. Officially, the Confucian state regarded such practices with suspicion as potentially subversive superstition. Yet divination was widespread across all social classes, from peasants consulting village shamans to aristocrats employing court diviners.
This cultural tension—between official disapproval and practical reliance—created perfect conditions for folkloric explanations of historical events. When a powerful figure acted inexplicably, divination provided a narrative framework that made the inexplicable comprehensible: they weren’t simply cruel or insane; they were following (or misunderstanding) supernatural guidance.
What Makes This Story Particularly Interesting
The Political Timing: Park Yeop’s execution wasn’t merely about his crimes—it was politically expedient. The Injo Restoration coup of 1623 overthrew King Gwanghaegun, and Park Yeop had been closely associated with the old regime. The new government needed to demonstrate decisive action and distance itself from the previous administration’s excesses. Park’s notorious brutality made him an ideal scapegoat.