Hello, everyone. Welcome to “Korean Folktales.” This Monday corner takes you into the world of interesting Korean folk stories. I’m Jinny Na. Today’s tale shows how evil is punished and good is rewarded.

A long time ago, there lived a good-hearted woodcutter in a mountain village. One day, as always, he was working in the forest when a deer appeared out of nowhere. The deer was limping, with an arrow impaled in its hind leg. Feeling sorry for the poor animal, the woodcutter quickly hid the deer under the piles of wood. Before long, a hunter ran toward him and asked if he saw a wounded deer. The woodcutter pointed his finger in the direction of the mountaintop. When the hunter was gone, the woodcutter took the arrow out of the deer. The deer looked back again and again, as if telling him to follow it. The woodcutter followed the deer, and they soon reached a fountain. The deer soaked its injured leg in the spring water. Miraculously, the wound healed instantly. Amazed by the extraordinary fountain, the woodcutter told village people about it. Thanks to the magic spring, those who were hurt were able to heal.

The rumor of the fountain reached the ears of a greedy old man in the village. He went to the local magistrate and claimed that the fountain belonged to him. “Sir, it was my grandfather who first found the spring. But everyone uses it at random now. If I reclaim the fountain, I’ll make people pay to use it and offer you half of the collected money.” The magistrate, who was as greedy as the old man, agreed. He told villagers to get permission from the old man before using the fountain.

After a while, the woodcutter happened to meet the deer again in the forest. This time the deer led him in a different direction and he found another spring. Just like the previous one, this fountain also had the power to heal all wounds. The woodcutter told his fellow villagers about this new spring. From then on, no-one used the old man’s fountain and it gradually ran dry. The greedy man was upset. He went to the magistrate again and claimed ownership of this fountain as well. He built a fence around the new spring and began to collect money from people hoping to use it.

One day, heavy rain caused floods in some parts of the village. Fortunately, there was no serious damage to villagers. But strangely enough, the houses of the old man and the magistrate as well as the second spring were all swept away. Also surprisingly, spring water began to gush out of the first fountain, which had dried up earlier. After that, the woodcutter and the village people all lived happy and healthy lives.

That’s it for today’s “Korean Folktales.” Tune in again next time for another interesting Korean folk story. Thanks for listening. I’m Jinny Na. Goodbye, everyone.