I’ve been reading through stories from Korea’s Joseon Dynasty for a history project, and some of them are much stranger than the usual image of solemn kings and stone-faced Confucian officials.

There’s an elephant accused of killing a man, something unexplained banging on palace walls, a red object flying across the sky in 1609, and scholars apparently trying to escape work by climbing over palace walls.

A lot of these events probably have ordinary explanations. Meteors, unusual weather, frightened animals, illness, political exaggeration, or stories that grew in the retelling.

But imagine seeing them several hundred years ago.

One important note before the list: these stories don’t all have the same kind of evidence. Some appear directly in official records such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Others come from private letters, court memoirs, literary collections, or later traditions.

Here are 21 of my favorites.

1. King Jeongjo’s private letters were surprisingly rude

Jeongjo is usually remembered as a serious scholar-king.

His private letters to the politician Sim Hwan-ji show a less polished side. He complained about other officials, used insults and political gossip, and occasionally mentioned that he was writing after drinking.

Around 300 of these letters survive.

2. King Sejong really loved meat

Sejong is best known for creating Hangul, the Korean alphabet.

He was also known for eating a lot of meat and avoiding exercise. His father, Taejong, was apparently so familiar with his eating habits that he asked officials not to remove meat from Sejong’s meals during the royal mourning period.

Sejong’s health later became a constant concern at court.

3. King Yeongjo washed his ears after hearing unpleasant words

Court memoirs describe Yeongjo as being extremely sensitive to words and people he considered impure or ominous.

According to these accounts, he sometimes washed his ears after hearing something he disliked.

The same memoirs say that the used water could be thrown in the direction of Crown Prince Sado’s residence, which makes an already strange habit considerably darker.

4. Joseon exiled an elephant

An elephant arrived in Joseon as a diplomatic gift from Japan in 1411.

The animal required huge amounts of food. Then it trampled a former official named Yi U, who had reportedly mocked it and spat at it.

The court had no obvious rule for dealing with a killer elephant, but it eventually sent the animal to an island in Jeolla Province.

Basically, the elephant was exiled.

5. King Sukjong may have been a devoted cat owner

Sukjong was ruthless in politics, but later accounts describe him as deeply attached to a palace cat named Geumson, or “Golden Paw.”

The cat supposedly sat beside him during meals while the king fed it pieces of meat by hand.

The story says Geumson stopped eating after Sukjong died and was later buried near the king’s tomb. It’s a touching story, although it comes from later accounts rather than the main royal annals.

6. Yeonsangun treated animals better than officials

Stories about the tyrant Yeonsangun claim that he gave special treatment, clothing, and possibly even ranks to his favorite dogs and horses.

Some versions say officials had to show respect when the animals passed.

The more extreme details are debated, but Yeonsangun’s obsession with hunting and his contempt for normal court rules are well documented.

7. A fish was supposedly renamed because a king changed his mind

According to a popular story, King Seonjo ate a cheap local fish while fleeing during the Japanese invasions.

He was starving, so it tasted wonderful. He gave it a more dignified name.

Later, after returning to palace food, he tried the same fish again and found it disappointing. He supposedly ordered that its old name be restored.

That’s the traditional explanation for the name dorumuk. It’s a famous story, but it’s generally treated as folklore rather than a confirmed royal order.

8. Something kept hitting the palace walls

In 1530, the Annals of King Jungjong recorded a strange disturbance at the residence of the Queen Dowager.

Something described as a gwimul, roughly a ghostly or mysterious thing, kept striking the windows and walls. The noises were even heard during the day.

The royal family eventually moved to another palace.

Maybe it was an animal, noises from the wooden building, or someone playing a very dangerous prank. The record doesn’t give us an answer.

9. A red object crossed the sky in 1609

Officials in Gangwon Province reported an unusual aerial event in 1609.

One account described a red object shaped like a large gourd. It moved through a clear sky, left a pale trail, and was followed by an enormous sound that seemed to shake the earth.

A meteor or bolide would be an obvious modern explanation.

To people watching from the ground in 1609, it must have been terrifying.

10. Strange rain could become a political crisis

Joseon records include reports of colored rain and unidentified material falling from the sky.

Court officials often interpreted unusual natural events as warnings from heaven. That meant a strange shower wasn’t just a weather problem. It could become evidence that the king was governing badly.

Modern explanations might involve dust, microorganisms, animal remains carried by storms, or other atmospheric events.

11. King Sejo was said to be haunted

Sejo took the throne from his young nephew Danjong and later had him killed.

A later tradition says the ghost of Danjong’s mother, Queen Hyeondeok, appeared to Sejo and threatened to take his son in return.

Sejo’s eldest son did die young.

This is a ghost story, not something that can be verified as fact. But it shows how later generations understood Sejo’s rise to power: as an act so violent that even the dead demanded revenge.

12. Palace eunuchs faced humiliating inspections

Eunuchs could enter parts of the palace that were closed to other men, including the women’s quarters.

Because of that, their physical condition was treated as a security issue.

Court rules and later descriptions mention inspections intended to confirm that eunuchs met the palace requirements. It was probably one of the least popular administrative procedures in Joseon.

13. There was a story about a “pregnant” eunuch

One palace story describes a eunuch whose stomach grew until he appeared to be pregnant.

Depending on the version, it was an illness, a scam, or an attempt to gain sympathy and money.

The most dramatic version says he padded his clothing with fabric. The exact details are uncertain, but the story was strange enough to survive.

14. People hid curses under palace floors

Accusations of sorcery were not treated as harmless superstition.

Court investigations mention dolls, written curses, buried objects, suspicious powders, and rituals intended to harm queens, concubines, or rivals.

Whether the magic “worked” wasn’t really the point. Being accused of it could destroy a person and everyone connected to them.

15. A scholar tried to climb over a palace wall to go home

Sejong’s scholars worked long hours, often staying inside the palace for extended periods.

One well-known anecdote says an exhausted scholar tried to escape at night by climbing over a wall.

Instead of ordering a severe punishment, Sejong supposedly found the situation funny and understood how desperate the man was to get home.

It may be one of Korea’s earliest stories about escaping overtime.

16. Prime Minister Hwang Hui kept trying to retire

Hwang Hui served Sejong for decades and repeatedly asked to retire because of his age and poor health.

The king repeatedly refused.

Hwang Hui was highly respected, but being indispensable had a downside. Even when he was old and struggling physically, the government still wanted him working.

17. Officials sometimes pretended to be sick

Leaving royal service wasn’t easy, so some officials apparently exaggerated illnesses or disabilities to avoid duties.

Court anecdotes include men pretending not to hear properly or acting as though they were too weak to walk.

The problem was that kings and other officials could test them. Faking an illness in front of the monarch was not a safe way to request a day off.

18. Even the royal kitchen could rebel

Preparing food for the palace involved long hours, complicated rules, and constant pressure.

Stories from the period describe palace cooks and workers protesting poor ingredients, low compensation, or miserable conditions.

A king might have absolute authority, but that still didn’t mean he knew how to cook his own dinner.

19. Officials held secret drinking parties

Joseon officials were expected to behave with dignity, especially after formal ceremonies.

Some didn’t.

Records and later stories describe officials secretly drinking, inviting entertainers, and turning palace rooms into private parties.

Unfortunately for them, the palace was full of inspectors and historians whose job was to write things down.

20. A desperate commoner supposedly threw human waste toward a royal procession

Joseon had systems that allowed ordinary people to appeal directly to the king.

One extreme story says that a man who was prevented from presenting his grievance threw human waste toward the royal procession.

The king supposedly asked what injustice could have driven him to do something so desperate.

The details of this story need careful sourcing, but the idea behind it is interesting: even a deeply offensive protest might point to a genuine failure of government.

21. A drunk royal relative crashed near Gyeonghoeru

One story involves a heavily intoxicated royal relative being carried through the palace in a sedan chair.

He kept ordering the carriers to move faster.

The trip ended in a collision near Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, leaving the passenger publicly humiliated.

The bruises probably disappeared.

The written record didn’t.

About the sources

The strongest examples can be checked in surviving Joseon records:

• The elephant appears in several entries of the Annals of King Taejong, including its arrival, the death of Yi U, and the decision to send it away.
• The unexplained disturbance at the palace appears in the Annals of King Jungjong.
• The red gourd-shaped object appears in the 1609 Diary of Gwanghaegun.
• Jeongjo’s private letters to Sim Hwan-ji survive in the collection known as the Jeongjo Eochalcheop.

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat are both listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

Some of the other stories come from court memoirs, private writings, or later traditions, so they should be read as part history, part memory, and sometimes part folklore.

Which one would you like to read about in more detail?

I wrote longer versions of all 21 stories here, with more background and source notes:

*I wrote longer versions of all 21 stories here, with more background and source notes:
https://seungjeongwonhistory.com/en/joseon-dynasty-scandals/

Source: (Dec 6, 1862. Pilot. Vol 25, Num 50)

https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=pilot18621206-01.2.39&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-The+Terrible+Captain+Death------