The Hare and the Dragon King

The Dragon King of the sea falls gravely ill. His loyal turtle servant decides only a hare's liver will cure him. The turtle lures a hare with promises of the palace's wonders. But once there, the hare quickly realizes the truth — and slyly insists his liver is "safely on the mountain." He convinces them to let him fetch it, and escapes home, leaving the turtle empty-handed.

A Korean folktale recorded in the Joseon dynasty. It was also performed as pansori — Korea's solo storytelling song tradition. A clever contrast between the hare's wit and the turtle's loyalty.

조선시대에 글로 적힌 한국의 옛이야기예요. '판소리'라는 노래 형식으로도 불렸어요. 토끼의 영리함과 자라의 충성심이 대비되는 재미있는 이야기랍니다.

• 토끼tokki
  /TOH-kkee/

  A swift, small mountain animal — a hare or rabbit.

• 자라jara
  /JAH-rah/

  A soft-shell turtle — cousin to the regular turtle but with a leathery shell.

• 용왕yongwang
  /YONG-wahng/

  The Dragon King who rules the depths of the sea.

• 용궁yonggung
  /YONG-goong/

  The Dragon King's magnificent underwater palace.

• 간gan
  /GAHN/

  The liver — an important organ that old Korean medicine sometimes used in cures.

This folktale becomes a 5-page coloring storybook in the app. Two of these pages branch — you choose which path the story takes.

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  A Turtle on the Mountain

  A hare nibbles grass on the mountainside when a turtle scrambles up from the sea. The turtle boasts of the Dragon King's gleaming palace and invites the hare to visit. But something flickers in the turtle's eyes.

• 

  The Truth at the Palace

  Inside the dazzling Dragon Palace the Dragon King lies in bed. "We need a hare's liver to save His Majesty," the ministers say. The hare freezes. What will he answer?

• 

  A Whisper from the Dokkaebi

  A dokkaebi sidles up to the hare and whispers, "The Dragon King wants your liver." The turtle is climbing the mountain again to fetch him. The hare hesitates between two paths.

• 

  The Clever Hare · 🧠 The Clever ending

  Back on his mountain, the hare leapt onto a great boulder and laughed. "My liver? Right where it always was — in my head!" From then on he was known throughout the forest as the cleverest of all creatures. The turtle returned empty-handed to the sea.

• 

  Friend of Sea and Mountain · 🤝 The Loyal Friendship ending

  The hare taught the Dragon King about mountain herbs, and the king was deeply grateful. From that day, the hare and the turtle became fast friends crossing land and sea — and whenever an animal fell sick, the two would set out together to find medicine.

The original has one ending — the hare's clever escape. Our version adds a second one: he could also forgive the turtle, befriend him, and bridge mountain and sea.

원작에서는 토끼가 기지로 빠져나오는 결말 하나예요. 우리 버전은 토끼가 영리하게 빠져나오는 결말과, 자라를 용서하고 친구가 되는 따뜻한 결말 둘 다 골라볼 수 있어요.