Why This Story
If you’re beginning your exploration of Korean ghost stories, there’s no better place to start than Janghwa Hongryeon jeon—The Tale of Janghwa and Hongryeon. This is the quintessential Korean supernatural narrative: a haunting account of two innocent sisters who suffered terrible injustice and returned from the dead to seek the truth. The story has been adapted countless times across centuries—in novels, operas, films, and television dramas—and remains deeply embedded in Korean cultural consciousness.
For international readers, the narrative that follows has been adapted slightly for clarity and cultural context. Certain details have been arranged to help the story flow more naturally for those unfamiliar with Joseon-era Korea. However, the essential arc and key elements remain unchanged. What you’re about to read preserves the same tragedy, the same supernatural justice, and the same profound themes that have captivated Korean audiences for nearly four centuries.
The Story at a Glance
At its heart, this is a tale of family, betrayal, and supernatural reckoning. Two beautiful sisters, named after Korea’s most beloved flowers—the rose and the lotus—lose their mother and gain a stepmother whose cruelty knows no bounds. When greed and jealousy drive the stepmother to commit unspeakable acts, the sisters’ spirits refuse to rest. They return night after night, terrifying every magistrate who arrives in their village, until one brave official finally listens to their plea. What follows is an investigation that would feel at home in a modern forensic crime drama, leading to a resolution that satisfied Korean audiences’ deep belief that wrongdoing will always be exposed—even if it requires intervention from beyond the grave.