A Korean Ghost Story

Because it gets so much traffic, I’ve decided to clean this post up a bit– this includes editing the grammar of the translation as well as updating some of the history of the “webtoon”.

Back on August 8, 2011, my co-worker linked me to an illustrated (and animated) “webtoon” of a Korean ghost story. My co-worker copy/pasted an English translation he found on the web. I thought I’d share here since it’s befitting of our blog. Later, it looked like the author went back in and put the English translation in the toon. Links to both of those can be found below.

Since it’s debut, the “Bong-Cheon-Dong Ghost” story has been an internet sensation. Most of the links we get to our blog involve this story and people who are searching for the English translation of the story. Others have recorded YouTube videos of themselves and friends and family reading the story. The reactions are great!

I really hope the original artist/programmer puts together another spooky webtoon for us all to enjoy!

Story link (in the original Korean):
http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detail.nhn?titleId=350217&no=20&weekday=tue

Link to the English Translation:
http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detail.nhn?titleId=350217&no=31&weekday=tue

Below is the translation with minor revisions. (Updated 10 June 2013)

2011 Mystery Sketch Bong-Cheon-Dong Ghost

The following is a true story based on personal accounts.

It was probably around 11:20 at night. I was heading home after long, tiring night-study sessions. But I didn’t see anybody around that day, which was weird, since the apartment complex is pretty big and I usually see a lot of people even at night.

Anyways, I was a little scared so I was just walking while looking down on the ground…

when I saw a shadow stretching towards me. Even though there had been no one around just a moment ago.

When I looked up…

I saw a woman walking in front of me. But she just didn’t look right.

I could say she looked slightly indisposed. She was limping pretty hard.

She was walking very slow, and I soon caught up with her. I was able to see her even better up close.

She was wearing dirty pink pajamas, and it looked like every joint in her body was twisted. Her hair was a mess and sticking out in every direction.

It seemed really weird, so I stopped walking.

I felt like I shouldn’t get any closer to her, and I didn’t have the guts to pass by her.

[The ghost turns around.]

They say when you’re really surprised, you can’t even scream. I couldn’t move, and just froze there.

“Where’s my baby?”

Her question made my thoughts race..

I don’t even know why I did it then.. And it still scares me.

I pointed as far as I could and answered.. “O… over there.”

I just wanted her to get away from me.

She limped towards the direction I pointed…

And I couldn’t see her anymore.

I didn’t want to risk running into her again, so I tried to turn around quickly and leave the apartment complex.

I couldn’t think of anything but to get to some place where there would be people around.

Then

“She is not there!” [The ghost runs towards you.]

I don’t remember anything afterwards. I heard that my neighbor found me passed out on the ground and took me home.

In 2007, at an apartment in Boncheon-Dong, Gwna-Ak-Gu, Seoul, a 33-year-old woman jumped off the apartment and died on the spot. Jo, who was divorced due to her affair, had lost the custody of her daughter and decided to kill herself.

She was seen walking around the apartment complex many times after her suicide. She was barefoot and wore the pajamas she was wearing when she died; every joint in her body was twisted, and she was an awful sight.