New Zealand-based writer Graci Kim on March 20 explains in a Korea.net interview at the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul how Korean folktales and mythology inspired her Gifted Clans trilogy.

By Yoon Sojung with contribution from Kim Jaeyeon

Photos = Jeon Han
Video = Jeon Han and Lee Jun Young 

Dangun, the central character in the myth of the founding of the Korean nation, features a bear who achieves her dream of becoming human after enduring 100 days living in a dark cave. But what about the tiger who tried the same thing as the bear but gave up and left?

This question starts the magic-infused fantasy trilogy Gifted Clans, which is popular abroad.

The brainchild of Korean New Zealander author Graci Kim, the series saw its conclusion in 2021 with the release of "The Last Fallen Realm," the final installment after "The Last Fallen Star" and "The Last Fallen Moon." The trilogy features mystical creatures and stories from Korean mythology and lore such as clans originating from the bear and the tiger in the Dangun myth, dokkaebi (goblin), inmyeonjo (human-faced bird), haetae (lion-like creature) and samjoko (three-legged crow). 

The New York Times bestseller has been so popular that the Disney Channel has optioned it for a live-action drama.

For the first time in six years, Kim visited Korea at the invitation of the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul as the guest of honor in creative cooperation between both countries.

"I strongly believe that Korean mythology, folktales and stories of gwisin (ghost) are as amazing as Greek and Roman ones and therefore can be loved so much in the world," she said in a March 20 interview with Korea.net at the embassy. 

"When I was little, my grandmother told me those stories and I loved them so much," she added. "These stories have been passed down only orally in Korea, so people find them new and fresh."

"Gifted Clans" depicts the adventures of Riley Oh, a teen adopted by a Korean American family who possesses magical powers and sets out to save her sister from danger. Riley eventually discovers her true identity and the value of familial love in the course of her journey through a tightly woven storyline. 

Mythical creatures from Korean folktales appear throughout the story to help Riley in difficult situations, inviting readers to the world of Korean mythology. Reviews on popular book sites like Amazon or Good Reads have been favorable such as "This fast-paced fantasy had me flipping the pages as quickly as possible!" and "Why didn’t somebody tell me about this stuff sooner?"

Choosing the Dangun myth as her favorite, Kim said, "All my stories began with one single question: What happened to (the tiger) after (it was) left alone in the cave?" 

To build and develop the characters and plot of the story, she emphasized the importance of asking "what if" to create new characters and stories. Such questions include whether Koreans are the descendants of the bear clan, what happened to the tiger in the Dangun myth and what would it be like if the descendants of both animals live today's world as immigrants. 

A diplomat turned writer, Kim immigrated to New Zealand with her family as a child, grew up there and worked overseas as a diplomat for over 10 years. One day on a road in Taipei, she witnessed a child being killed in a car accident, something that changed her attitude toward life 180 degrees. 

Later in Beijing, China, she suddenly faced the risk of going blind. After receiving emergency eye surgery, she decided to pursue writing as a career, saying, "I must do something meaningful in my life from now on." 

She has since written books featuring youngsters who grow up as immigrants and suffer from the issues of identity and a sense of belonging based on her experience in New Zealand. "The story of Riley Oh reflects my own experience of confusion of identity and sense of belonging when I was growing up as an immigrant," she said.

Author Graci Kim on March 20 announces the release of her new series "Dreamslinger" and the Korean-language edition of the "Gifted Clans" trilogy next year at an interview with Korea.net hosted by the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul's Jung-gu District.

Kim also announced the release next year of "Dreamslingers," her new series about mutated people able to enter the dream world who search for magical creatures to obtain magical powers in the real world. They all gather at Dreamsling, a secret place in Seoul's Yeouido neighborhood, with the protagonist being the teenage girl Aria from Texas. 

She also said "Dreamslinger" was also inspired by traditional Korean culture and folklore based on questions such as what if Professor X from the X-men was king of Korea, if he had magical powers and if places in dreams exist in the real world.

Kim also announced the release of the Korean-language edition of "Gifted Clans" next year in the summer. 

"My parents will be able to read the Korean copies of the book when it comes out," she said with high expectations. "This whole trip to Korea is like magic as I was invited as an embodiment of Korean and New Zealand creative cooperation with cultural understanding from both sides." 

In a concluding message to Korea.net readers around the globe, she added, "I would love to share with you one message that I hold just so dear, which is no matter how old we are, no matter how jaded or tired we've become, let's just remember that magic is all around us."

arete@korea.kr