Shimcheong: the embodiment of filial piety, a legend of the blue sea

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Roufida Abouelwafa

Photos = SBS, My Modern Met

Another reason why Korean soap operas are the fastest way to get to know Korea is that they pull you right in to Korean society and make you feel that you're a part of it. Each time I watch a Korean soap opera, the places in and around Korea become much more familiar to me. I learn more about Korean food, what to eat, where to get it and how to eat it. Sometimes, I learn about Korean traditions and other times about the Korean community itself. This time, I was lucky enough to come across a famous folk tale. This is the tale of Shimcheong, the blind man`s daughter.

It all started earlier this year when I was watching the famous TV show "The Legend of the Blue Sea" (푸른 바다의 전설). The show was about a mermaid who was destined to fall in love with a charming con artist that she met in Spain. Then she decided to go all the way to Seoul to find him. When she did, she couldn't reveal her identity to him, which made him more curious about her. He thought she was suffering from amnesia when she couldn't remember her name, so he decided to call her "Shimcheong."

At first I didn't pay any attention to the name. However, in later episodes everyone started saying that her name was quite unique. I wanted to relate to the story better. So I looked it up online. There I found that the name Shimcheong is from a famous folktale that has been adapted into many films, and which is even told as a bedtime story. It tells the story of a beautiful young woman who was raised by her blind father who loved her and took care of her after her mother passed away after giving birth to her. Shimcheong grew up having no one by her side except for her beloved father, who begged for milk for his baby daughter. Her father's sacrifices made Shimchong have a strong sense of responsibility and respect toward her father, which impressed lady Jang, a rich local lady, and made her want to adopt Shimcheong. However, with such devotion, Shimcheong refused to leave her father alone. One day, her father was looking for her and he fell into a deep creek.

A monk passing by heard him screaming and offered to rescue him and even prayed for him to get his sight back, for only 300 sacks of rice. He agreed to that price. When Shimcheong learned about the deal she knew she had to save her father's honor and help him gain back his sight. She arranged a deal with merchants who needed a young beautiful lady to sacrifice her to the dragon king of the sea. Shimcheong told her father that Lady Jang adopted her and gave her the 300 sacks of rice, sacrificing herself to make her father regain his sight.

Everyone then believed she died in the ocean, but when Shimcheong opened her eyes she was at the dragon king's palace. He found her and he was touched by her story. When he heard her story, he decided to send her back to the surface by wrapping her in a lotus flower. Shimcheong's father was extremely sad when he learned that his daughter had sacrificed herself in order for him to regain his sight. The merchants who were on their way back home found the lotus flower on the sea and they brought it to the king of their country. The king found Shimcheong in the lotus. The king then fell in love with Shimcheong, married her and made her queen of the world. Shimcheong tells the king about her father and so the king holds a feast for all the blind men in the country. Her father cried when he saw her at the feast with his own eyes, well and alive. Shimcheong ends up living as a queen with her father happily ever after.

  

The moral of the Shimcheong story is the importance of filial piety. The "Legend of the Blue Sea" is inspired by a classic Joseon legend from Korea's first collection of unofficial historical tales. The way I learned about Shimcheong is from a TV show. I learned that the folktale is quite the same, despite the different storylines. Both characters were pretty and suffered a tragedy. They sacrificed themselves for their beloved ones. They were loved by others and were admired for their unique personality. Most importantly, they both had a happy ending.

In the end, that's the one thing good about watching Korean soap operas. It's how you can get to know and explore new traditions, new places, or even new folk tales. So if you ever learn something about Korea by watching Korean TV, let us know what you learned and feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.

wisdom117@korea.kr

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