Pulgasari, also known as Bulgasari (), is a metal-eating

legendary creature A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses ...

that appears in

Korean mythology Korean mythology ( ) is the group of myths told by historical and modern Koreans. There are two types: the written, literary mythology in traditional histories, mostly about the founding monarchs of various historical kingdoms, and the much l ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. The creature is a mixture of different animals, which are; a bear, an elephant, a rhino, a tiger and a bull, each representing specific body parts.

Mass culture

Pulgasari has made appearance in two movies, first in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n film ''

Bulgasari ''Bulgasari'' is a lost 1962 South Korean ''kaiju'' film directed and edited by Kim Myeong-je. Produced by Kwang Seong Films Co., Ltd., it was the first monster film to be made in South Korea, as well as the first Korean film to use special eff ...

'' in 1962 and then later in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n film ''

Pulgasari ''Pulgasari'' () is a 1985 North Korean horror-action kaiju film directed by Shin Sang-ok. It stars Chang Son Hui and Pak Sung Ho and features special effects by Duk Ho Kim, supervised by Teruyoshi Nakano. The film centers around the legend of ...

'' in 1985. The creature has also made appearance in a single episode of animated TV-series '' The Haunted House: The Secret of the 'Ghost Ball''' and live-action TV-series ''

Tale of the Nine Tailed ''Tale of the Nine Tailed'' () is a 2020 South Korean television drama starring Lee Dong-wook, Jo Bo-ah, and Kim Bum. It aired on tvN from October 7 to December 3, 2020, every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 ( KST) with 16 episodes. On Novembe ...

''. Pulgasari also appears in the 2021 TV-series '' Bulgasal: Immortal Souls'', however in the series the creature eats blood instead of metal.

References

{{Korean mythology Korean folklore Korean mythology Mythological hybrids

Mass culture

See also

References