Korean Folktale : The Man Who Received a Letter from the Dead

📜 Korean Folktale Series 65

“The Man Who Received a Letter from the Dead”
(죽은 자의 편지를 받은 사내 · Jugeun Ja-ui Pyeonjireul Baden Sanae)

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🕰️ 1. The Story

Long ago, in a quiet village by the river, there lived a man named Dong-seok, a gentle soul known for his honesty and compassion. He worked as a postman, carrying letters between distant towns—messages of love, hope, and sometimes sorrow.

One cold winter day, after finishing his route, he noticed a strange letter at the bottom of his mailbag. Its envelope was made of rough, old paper, sealed with black wax. The address read simply:

“To the one who delivers between the living and the dead.”

Startled, Dong-seok looked around but found no sender. Though uneasy, he felt a strange duty to deliver it. That night, a faint whisper called to him in the wind:

“Follow the moonlight to the willow by the river.”

He obeyed. Beneath the moon’s silver glow, he found an old stone marker he had never noticed before. As he placed the letter on the stone, the ground trembled softly, and a pale figure appeared—his old friend Min-gyu, who had died the year before.

Min-gyu’s voice was gentle but filled with longing.

“Dong-seok, I have been waiting. This letter is not for me, but from me. Please deliver it to my wife. She weeps each night, unable to let go.”

With trembling hands, Dong-seok took the letter. The next morning, he went to the widow’s home and gave it to her. Tears filled her eyes as she broke the seal and read her husband’s familiar handwriting:

“Do not grieve for me. I dwell in peace where sorrow ends.
Your love is my light, and through it, I still walk beside you.”

As she finished reading, a soft wind passed through the room, carrying the faint scent of lilies. From that day forward, the widow no longer cried but smiled when she saw the morning sun, whispering,

“He is near.”

Dong-seok, too, changed. He continued his work, but whenever he carried a letter, he treated it not just as paper—but as a bridge between hearts, between the living and the departed.

And in the village, people still say that on quiet winter nights, a lone postman can be seen walking by the river under the moonlight, carrying letters written in starlight and memory.

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🪄 2. Meaning & Lessons

▪️ Love endures beyond death when the heart remembers gently.
▪️ Compassion connects worlds that seem far apart.
▪️ Messages of love never truly fade—they transform into blessings.

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👀 3. Reflections in Life

▪️ Every word we speak leaves a trace in another’s heart.
▪️ Letting go is not forgetting—it is setting love free.
▪️ Sometimes, peace arrives in the quiet form of acceptance.

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🌏 4. Similar Tales Around the World

Japan — The Letter from the Afterlife (Yūrei no Tegami)
A ghost writes to comfort his grieving wife, showing that love can cross the veil of death.

China — The Spirit’s Message by the River
A man receives a letter from his late friend, teaching that friendship transcends mortality.

England — The Phantom Postman
A folk tale of a messenger who delivers one final letter from the dead before vanishing into mist.

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💬 A Warm Saying

“Love does not end with farewell—it continues in the silence that remembers.”

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📌 Note
This is creative cultural content from the Misojieum Story Blog (kor-telling.com).
Please do not copy without permission. Sharing is welcome with proper source citation.