International Mermaid Day: The legend of Princess Hwangok

March 29 is International Mermaid Day, which celebrates the fascinating half-human, half-fish mystical creature.

In Denmark, there is the famous Little Mermaid , but do you know that there is a legendary mermaid figure in Korea too?

In Korea, there is Princess Hwangok in Busan's Haeundae. The mermaid statue known as Princess Hwangok gazes into the open sea in Dongbaeksom (Dongbaek Island). Dongbaeksom is a small island located next to the Westin Josun Busan, and to the west of Haeundae Beach.

According to the information on site, once upon a time, Princess Hwangok from Naranda, a mythical country of merman and mermaids, married King Eunhye of Mugung, a legendary kingdom. The princess missed her homeland Naranda so much that every full moon, she would come out at night and gaze at the view of her home reflected in her Golden Ball.

It would be great if there were more information about the statue.

I checked the official Haeundae website (https://www.haeundae.go.kr/) but there was only one mention of the statue.

I couldn’t even find it on the Busan tourism map.

The Mermaids of Earth Site (https://mermaidsofearth.com/) provides more information such as it is a “4-ton 8 ft high bronze sculpture, which sits on a large natural rock on the northeast side of Dongbaek Park. It was installed here in 1974, but was badly damaged by Typhoon Thelma in 1987.”

I wish there was more information as this statue has the potential to be a tourism attraction and would attract visitors who are fascinated by folklore.