Sigingyeon

Lore

Sigingyeon (식인견) literally means “man-eating dog,” from 식인 “cannibal” and 견 “dog.” In legend it is not a breed of wild animal but the result of a broken natural order and a far-reaching curse.

The best-known tale speaks of a pack of five or six hunting dogs in Jangseon County. Their master died tragically in a fire; afterward the dogs devoured his charred remains. From that act of cannibalism—an utter betrayal of the canine virtue of loyalty—the animals were transformed forever. Their fur and skin are said to look scorched, as though studded with smoldering embers. Their eyes glow, and their bodies have a wolf-like build—high ears and a long, lean frame that underscores the savage predator that replaced the once-faithful hunting hound.

The pack haunts forest edges and roadside verges around Jangseon. Roads mark the border between the human world and the wild; lurking there highlights the dogs’ liminal status—no longer part of society yet not fully natural beasts either. Forests, meanwhile, are traditionally the realm of evil spirits. Living on these boundaries mirrors their cursed nature and eternal wandering.