Haetae (Haetae): Korea's traditional guardian deity, still with us today.

This evening, I stumbled upon some really cute Haechi statues in front of a fire station . They were small, sturdy stone figures , standing side by side, guarding the words " People's Firefighting " and " Safe Country . " They were so adorable that I wanted to write a blog post about Haechi , Korea 's traditional guardian deity .

What is a hatch ?

Haechi is a mythical creature , a traditional Korean guardian deity resembling a lion . It is a being that wards off fire and disaster and symbolizes justice, and has been erected as a stone statue in front of palaces and government offices since ancient times .

Even now, you can still find Haechi all over Seoul.

Even now, there are Haetae statues erected in front of many government offices and fire stations . The photo I took is of a small Haetae statue with the words "Safe Korea" and "People's Fire Service" written on it . There is a larger Haetae statue near Seoul City Hall .

Haechi ( Haetae ), Seoul's mascot

The city of Seoul has had Haechi as its official mascot since 2008. Recently , the design was renewed for the 2024 version , and it was reborn with a cute and friendly appearance .

Haechi is being reborn not only as traditional patterns and stone statues, but also as various illustrations and characters . For example , illustrator Kim Yu-shin's " Merong Haechi " is a Haechi character reinterpreted with a modern sensibility . It is an example of the natural fusion of tradition and modernity .

“Merong Haechi” character illustration © Artist Kim Yu-shin, Instagram @merong_haechi

Tradition is alive

The hatch isn't just a creature from ancient tales ; it's a living symbol that continues to play a role in our daily lives . Experience the unwavering , ever-evolving nature of Korean tradition through the hatch .