Yonggung- Korean LocationLocation · Realm"Dragon Palace"

The Dragon King's Realm

The Yonggung is the underwater palace of the Dragon King Yongwang, built of coral, crystal, and luminous pearl deep beneath the sea. From this court, the Dragon King governs the waters, marine creatures, and weather affecting the coastal world. Halls lit by glowing gems. Gardens of sea plants. Attendants drawn from the creatures of the ocean.

The Rabbit's Liver

The most famous story set in the Yonggung is the Byeoljubu-jeon, the tale of the turtle and the rabbit. When the Dragon King falls gravely ill, his court determines that only a rabbit's liver can cure him. A loyal turtle is sent to the surface to lure a rabbit back to the underwater palace. The rabbit is brought to the Yonggung, but upon learning the Dragon King intends to cut out its liver, it claims to have left the organ drying on a rock on shore. The turtle is forced to return the rabbit to land, where it leaps free and mocks the entire court for their credulity.

Shim Cheong and the Lotus

In the Shim Cheong-jeon, the filial daughter plunges into the sea as a sacrifice to pay for her blind father's sight. Rather than drowning, she is received into the Yonggung, where the Dragon King honors her virtue. Shim Cheong is returned to the surface inside a giant lotus flower and eventually reunited with her father, whose sight is restored. The rabbit came to the Yonggung by trickery and escaped by wit. Shim Cheong came by sacrifice and left by grace.