North Korea’s Folklore, Not Politics | Ep. 373

North Korea’s Folklore, Not Politics | Ep. 373

A monster in a volcanic lake, blue sea dragons along a rugged coast, and a mystery in the sky that drew both Koreas to look up at once—this conversation pushes past headlines to reveal how folklore can connect people who rarely meet as neighbors. With David Solomon of Mythical Creatures Around the World, we explore the living map of Korean myth—stories that predate modern borders yet still pulse through North Korea’s mountains, shorelines, and villages today.

We dig into Heaven Lake’s cryptid, a cousin in spirit to Loch Ness, and talk about why that legend matters: it reminds us that culture outlasts politics. We also trace the Seya, the blue sea dragons that glide through North Korean maritime lore, and consider how sea myths carry universal themes of love, loyalty, and fate. Along the way, we zoom out to the United States to show how our own landscape teems with legends—Bigfoot, Goatman, Roswell, and bay monsters—proving folklore is not an exotic export but a shared human habit. Stories don’t erase differences; they give us a respectful way to cross them.

David shares a creative ethic grounded in representation, faith, and empathy: honor people, approach controversial regions with care, and tell inclusive stories without stepping on anyone to lift someone else. We reflect on how myths migrate with families, how kids learn inclusion faster through tales than through lectures, and why speaking a culture’s “language” opens doors that politics often slams shut. If you care about Korean folklore, North Korean culture beyond geopolitics, or how myth can be a tool for unity, this is a thoughtful, hope-forward deep dive.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves legends, and leave a review telling us the one folklore you want us to explore next. Your voice helps us reach more listeners and keep these stories alive.

Chapter Markers

0:00 Welcome And Global Audience Shoutouts

1:59 Introducing David Solomon And The Controversy

2:32 Why Write About North Korea’s Folklore

5:19 The Lake Monster At Heaven Lake

6:41 Folklore Beyond Politics And Borders

9:36 U.S. Folklore Examples And Immigrant Stories

12:06 Representation, Faith, And Cultural Respect

15:23 Uniting Through Myth Instead Of Division

18:12 North Korea In Global Culture And Olympics

21:10 Interwoven Histories: Russia, Norse, And America

24:20 Goa, Africa, And Speaking People’s Language

26:55 Upcoming North Korea Tales: Sea Dragons And UFOs

28:58 Choose Change Over Vengeance

31:26 Hope, Hollywood, And Telling Hard Stories

35:12 Healing, Survival, And Creating For The Next Generation

38:00 Shared Mission: Inclusion Over Taboo

42:30 Gratitude, Growth, And Bold Calls To Create

#NorthKorea #Folklore #CulturalHeritage #Mythology #Storytelling #KoreanTraditions #LegendsOfNorthKorea #FolkTales #CulturalExploration #NorthKoreanCulture #HistoricalNarratives #FolkloreStories #TalesFromThePast #NorthernMyths #TraditionAndCulture #justiceforsurvivors #VoicesforVoices #VoicesforVoicesPodcast #JustinAlanHayes #JustinHayes #help3billion #TikTok #Instagram #truth #Jesusaire #VoiceForChange #HealingTogether #VoicesForVoices373

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Global Audience Shoutouts
• 1:59 Introducing David Solomon And The Controversy
• 2:32 Why Write About North Korea’s Folklore
• 5:19 The Lake Monster At Heaven Lake
• 6:41 Folklore Beyond Politics And Borders
• 9:36 U.S. Folklore Examples And Immigrant Stories
• 12:06 Representation, Faith, And Cultural Respect
• 15:23 Uniting Through Myth Instead Of Division
• 18:12 North Korea In Global Culture And Olympics
• 21:10 Interwoven Histories: Russia, Norse, And America
• 24:20 Goa, Africa, And Speaking People’s Language
• 26:55 Upcoming North Korea Tales: Sea Dragons And UFOs
• 28:58 Choose Change Over Vengeance
• 31:26 Hope, Hollywood, And Telling Hard Stories
• 35:12 Healing, Survival, And Creating For The Next Generation
• 38:00 Shared Mission: Inclusion Over Taboo
• 42:30 Gratitude, Growth, And Bold Calls To Create

Transcript

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes: 0:02

Hey everyone, it's Justin, Voices for Voices. Thank you for joining us on this special edition episode where we are going to cover a uh recent current event uh with a uh uh our partner uh David Solomon, uh a recent post on Mythical Creatures around the world that we we did uh for um the geography of the country of North Korea and its its people, it's human beings, and uh we're gonna be covering that. Uh I just wanted to say before that, one of the welcome, welcome you wherever you're you're you're coming to us from. If you're coming to us from North Korea, welcome. We're glad happy to have you with us. If you subscribe, like, follow, share. Uh we greatly appreciate that. Uh we are reaching uh close to a hundred countries, a thousand cities, uh, whether you watch, whether you listen, you can find the voices for voices, TV show and podcasts anywhere, and uh please share with your friends, your family, your colleagues, your teammates, your fellow students, your fellow coaches, your fellow teachers, anybody uh we we we are learning to uh individuals uh who are uh uh coaches are having kind of like watch parties where while their team is working on in in the weight room, they're pumping in uh the voices for voices too. We shouldn't pop against us to the audio, and so we're very grateful to each and every one of you that is doing this, and uh we we welcome uh anyone near that can do that. So we're gonna hop into this mini episode. We have with us uh the uh the person behind mythical creatures behind uh around the world. Uh mythical creatures around the world. This is David Solomon, and we're going to just have a uh an episode and and just just talk about uh the recent post we did for North Korea. So David, thank you uh so much for joining us on the show. We are grateful to have you with us, and we can get started. Thank you.

David Solomon: 2:32

Um I just wanted to uh I wanted to take this moment to just tell people that uh, you know, there was some controversy on why I posted on North Korea, and uh the truth of the matter is we are not in the same world that we were in uh 20 years ago regarding North Korea. In fact, North Korea has opened itself up to tourism and even going as far as putting Broadway type plays into some of its cities, including on the beaches. Um so when people think North Korea, they think it's this great and evil place, and what they forget is it is people too. And uh the truth of the matter is we we're we're on the same planet, we breathe the same air, we have the same ocean. Um it's not like they're on Mars, they're a neighboring country to us, like it or not. And it's not just North Korea, there are other countries ruled by dictatorships, and that's why when I write, I'm very careful not to politically um make stories that offend those countries, but instead unite the differences of those countries, and that's why I choose to write about controversial countries like North Korea, Russia, uh, China, uh, Antarctica. That doesn't mean that I'm not gonna write about other countries, that doesn't mean I'm gonna not do other stories set in good countries that we know, but that does mean that there needs to be a difference in those countries too. Um and mythical creatures around the world is foremost a folklore resource for people to get information um and to help them know folklore and mythology and not just rely on ChatGBT because I promise you ChatGBT will not tell you anything about North Korea. Now I will say um on mythical, I I kind of I don't judge the countries, I don't even judge the people, it's about folklore and not politics. So I'm gonna give the audience an example, and I hope I don't butcher the name. Um so in North Korea, uh, there is a lake, and you can look this up on Wikipedia, dear. There's actually a lake monster um in North Korea that is like the Loch Ness monster. Isn't that weird? Like we we say North Korea doesn't have anything, and we say, you know, it doesn't um have mists and lore, and then there it is. So uh it's referred to as Hebben Lake, it's a volcanic crater on the border of China and North Korea, and it's kind of interesting because there's a lot of stories behind it. No one really knows. Um, but it is a cryptoid, and a cryptoid means an unknown species of creature uh like the Loch Ness monster that lives at the top of this lake on the border of North Korea and both China. Now that's not the only North Korea myth. You also got to remember that North Korea has only been around for a little bit, and North Korea was actually part of the Korean peninsula, which was South Korea, and there was no South Korea, it was the Korean peninsula. And so you have the the myth of North Korea. The horse that I published actually, although North Korea uses it, is not exclusively only North Korean either, it's also South Korean because it comes from Korean culture and Korean mythology. So I wanted to take this moment to kind of educate people that there is going to be controversy on some things that I do, and I want you to just stick with me because I'm trying to reach those people too. As a folklorist, I believe that they deserve to be heard. I believe that they have a story to tell, and I believe that story needs to be told. You know, in the United States, we're so quick to go, we don't have folklore, and we live in a uh a utopia where we don't have mythology yet. We have Roswell, New Mexico, we have Area 51, great examples. What do you think folklore is? Folklore is a mythology, not theology, and so folklore is everywhere. Fairies, mermaids, bigfoot on the west coast, in Texas, you got the uh the goat man, you know, in Ohio, you got the Melaneds, Chess, and the Chesapeake Bay, which is a Loch Ness monster. Anywhere you go, you got the skinwalkers in Nevada. Like, we don't live in a society where there's no folklore. In fact, we're surrounded by it more so than any other country because all these immigrants came to our country and brought with them the stories. I'll give you an example. In Southern California, the weeping woman is told in Westminster, San Diego, all the way to San Bernardino and all the way to Arizona and all the way to Texas and all the way down to Florida. Same story. Just a different version. But we judge other people too. And so when I became a folklorist at a very young age, I really wanted to strive to be a voice for those that have none, and especially with countries and representing countries, because that's really important to me to help those that need help to tell their story. And culture is history, and then how do you reach people with God? Well, you tell stories that impact their culture. How do you become a missionary in a foreign land? Well, you don't go to Russia speaking English, you go there speaking Russian. That doesn't mean that it makes you Russian, that means that you respect the culture and the language and you want to get to know the people. Well, that same set of circumstances applies here. Now I want to make it known under no circumstances do I agree with the government of North Korea. But they are in my story world because every country has representation, and the reason for that is we're gearing up for an Olympic event where there'll be toys and merchandise of every country, and that doesn't mean no North Korea. North Korea's in the Olympics. So I know people are gonna look down and go, why North Korea? Well, they're people too, they deserve to be heard. You may not agree with them, then don't read the story, but don't hate on it when we're trying to make a change on people's hearts, you know. Actually, I talked to someone last night who said you don't want to have vengeance, and that's exactly what this is about not having vengeance on these countries that are dictatorships. Be a part of the change, be a part of the solution, don't cause more controversy. If we cause more controversy, I mean, what are we doing? We're we're just gonna shut down the things that we disagree with. You know, I did a post about nine years ago, and it was Russia, and people just freaked out. They were like, Oh my gosh, you're writing a novel about Russia. You did a post, you drew Russia. How could you do Russia? And then the next day I did Modovia, and then people from Russia said, How could you do Modovia? And then I reminded people that they're neighbors with Ukraine. We're all people and we all have our stories and our culture, and you need to tell those stories. That doesn't mean that I'm gonna write a story in North Korea and have the North Koreans go to war against the American mythical creatures. It means you're uniting on a forefront of an idea, an idea that we can all relate to. Love, safety, and the art of storytelling to carry on the legacy of both country and culture. Now, a lot of countries, if you go far back enough, merge into each other, and there's reasons for that, but I say it again why are we judging? You know, I was writing Christian fantasy, I was ghostwriting for a writer long ago, and I asked the simple question why are there not black people in this story? And they were like, Well, Christian fantasy doesn't have that. Well, that's not the God I serve. And God says love people no matter what color or culture or creed, and it doesn't mean love the black people but screw the Asian people. That means love everyone. You know, Hollywood is weird, and I've been a part of it, I'm not gonna lie. But the woke got something right that we failed to do as conservatives. Politics aside, when I say conservatives, I mean clean-minded, I mean uh people that like good stories, but they did get one thing right representation, diversity needs to be done, but they got something wrong. Stepping on someone else in order to make yourself better. I'll give you an example: Black Panther II. I was a part of it. Black Panther II talks about the black people hurting white people, any racist event. Black Panther had its pedestal. Number one was great to be a part of, it was an amazing place to be in history. We got to see an entire culture represented that that people just laughed at, but then when you hold that power, you say, My life matters more than yours, and then you put people down, and then you become the bully who bullied you. So the white people bullied the black superheroes, and now the black superheroes bully the white. That's why Superman did not take off this woke agenda of putting others down now. Now, I think the woke agenda started out with vision to tell stories that haven't been told, and I truly believe that needed to be done, but not in the way it is now. So North Korea is just another way of keeping culture, we're not saying there's a refugee from North Korea running because of the politics, we're talking about a story within the country. We're not putting politics into these stories. We're uniting these countries with these stories. I'll give you a little culture shock. Did you know that technically Russia is in the United States? Here's a culture moment. California. There's a part of land, and it's uh Fort Ross. It sits on the border, that's about an hour and a half from San Francisco. On the border of Sonoma County. It's still owned by Russia technically. You can go to it. Russia flags, Russia, port, Russia, everything. A great example. That if you talk to people about folklore there, you're gonna find Russian. The one place in America where you're gonna find Russian folklore, also on the Oregon coast. There's a lot of Russian immigrants who call it home. And of course, Alaska. Lots of Russian mixed folklore, and then the Norse, this is where it gets interesting, in Maine and uh and New England in general, the Norse gods pop up in the Native American folklore, right, left, and center. I wrote a book called The Weasel Girls on Amazon. This is a short little book, and it's based on the idea of these weasel girls, but they shape shift, but Loki is in it because Loki came from Native American folklore, which originated from the north. Isn't that funny how they intermingle? And Odin is in the Canadian folklore. Yeah, I'm sure the Vikings were here. So North Korea plays such a role. I wrote a story in Goa. Goa, India. And they hate Christianity yet. The story I wrote, the post that I did, was one of the most viewed. Not because I said you're going to hell, not because I said India's wrong, but because I spoke their language. But they respected mine. And that's unheard of. Do you realize that I posted on another country that's just as controversial as North Korea? You missed it. It was in Africa where they behead anything that has to do with God. Why? But I didn't get the political. There's no need to. If you are spreading the light and you are telling a story that can be grasped by every nation on earth and being powerful that way, then you are doing right. That is what it's about. So mythical creatures around the world is a place where culture and people come together, and you learn a little bit of these stories. Now, after the North Korea controversy, I posted on Dallas. But I am gonna do another North Korea post. And it's not controversial. In fact, it's a beautiful love story. I'd love to share it with you. If no one knows, North Korea has an ocean. They actually have mermaids too. And North Korea has one of the most beautiful mermaid folklores. They are called the Seya. The blue sea dragons. Beautiful folklore. The blue sea dragons rule over the oceans. Now, here's the other interesting part. They also believe in aliens, too. So there's a sighting in North Korea that we're going to be talking about, not because I'm a UFO expert or anything, it's historical. Really powerful moment for culture where both South Korea and North Korea united on this sighting. Instead of causing war, instead of causing division, why don't we unite instead of divide? Pakistan and Israel. When I post about Pakistan, I'm gonna get controversy because I didn't post about Israel. When does it end? When does it end? When I post about Venezuela, they're gonna get mad because I'm posting about America. If you stop the hate now, you become a better person. You become part of the solution and not the problem. So a certain person last night said, don't be about vengeance. Well, this is doing the opposite. Be a part of the change. Change people's hearts, change people's minds. Don't let people define you, don't let history define you. You make history. They're the ones tearing you down, saying you can't do this and you can't do that. And David, David in the Bible could not slay the giant Goliath because everybody said that's not going to happen. And yet God gave him the slingshot and it happened. No one believed in Moses, yet he parted the Red Sea. Paul killed Christians. No one believed in him, yet he saved so many and wrote half of the Bible. You can defy history. You can make history. You can define a generation, or you can defy a generation, and it is up to you. Mythical creatures around the world wants to be a part of the change and make history and change history and create a way of thinking that we're all united as brothers and sisters on the same world. And since I'm Christian of Christ, but of other nations, of God, of the Creator. And there's nothing wrong with that. People are so small-minded when it comes to controversy over a culture because they don't like something about it. There is a controversial project I'm doing in my hometown about a black uh a black uh a black character in an all-white town called White City. It had to be told. Why? Because if we don't, there won't be any change. Don't be a part of the hate. Love on someone. And those people that slam others and put them down, shame on you, even in the writing world. Stop it. Mythical creatures around the world also is going to continue to put out content, merchandise, TV shows, comics, toys, video games, we are going to change the way the world thinks culture is. Both from a Christian fiction point of view and also from a people point of view. But the North Korea story I wanted to talk about.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes: 27:55

Thank you. Uh for going into such detail and given the history. I think it's it's uh helpful.

David Solomon: 28:07

And North Korea it's so beautiful the history because it used to be part of Korea. So like you have um you have the gulamo, you have the sea dragons so much, but I I appreciate you know uh getting to the bottom of this controversy. It shouldn't be a controversy, it should be a conversation of why is this wrong when we're trying to unite and teach kids, even because my nine-year-old actually I drew that for him so he could learn different countries, and we're using it in different homeschool curriculums nationwide. These things need to be talked about and taught to kids in a new way, instead of giving kids hate, give them love, give them understanding and inspiration. Thank you for having me on.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes: 29:23

Absolutely, and thanks to our viewers and listeners for tuning in to this special edition uh episode where we dive deep into uh recent posts um about the country in North Korea, and we welcome people from uh North Korea and any other country, territory, province, city, township.

David Solomon: 29:47

And a lot of people think that there's not a lot of people that get internet in North Korea. That's partially true, but again, a lot has changed because tourism has. change and so there are parts where they do particularly in the beach cities itself. And that's part of being that change.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes: 30:14

It is and that's that's a huge huge part of I think why the two of us connect on a on a big macro level as well as on uh individual projects is because with voices for voices that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to help change the world's thinking. We want everybody to have a a voice and if we uh say well this country and the people live here well except for them and then except for these over here and then over here to your point David uh that just it that just uh expands the hate it makes the fire brighter of saying it's okay to say negative things and uh and just shun people and we don't we don't believe that which is another reason why the content that not only did we get uh the honor to be able to post on mythical creatures around the world uh is so important but also why the guests in the different topics do we talk about on our show are so important where other shows they don't touch it they don't want anything to do with it and the only way we can make the world a better place is for everybody to feel like they're included and so the person that's gone through a really difficult situation which we all have um in what in certain ways and if we shun those people then it it's it it shows children and others that it's okay to well we don't need to talk about that because that that's that's just taboo and um you know that that that's dangerous and well well a lot of things are dangerous um uh each and every day and so we're we're grateful to have the opportunity to have you on dude to be able to reach uh people in areas that again we're we're not bringing up the politics side of it we're bringing up the culture of the people that they can relate to and that's the important thing where we can get along as human beings and yes we're all gonna have differences even the most popular celebrity is going to have people that don't like them and and so we can't expect each we can't expect everybody to to love every single thing we do and there's things we're gonna disagree on but at the the macro at the top level wanting to help and change the world and be a voice and help three billion people and and more than that this is the way we do it it's by uniting not dividing uh so David and um like even in Hollywood it's the same it's the same attitude as North Korea there's controversy if you post about certain honestly folklore in Hollywood people will get mad at you and go how dare you how dare you talk about you know Christianity in Hollywood it's the same idea or folklore and again you know it's all about reaching people it's all about honoring culture and legacy um just recently uh I was approached to not do a drama in Compton California which is the most crime ridden area in Los Angeles and he said you don't want to do a story about there that's exactly where I want to do it because there needs to be hope there needs to be light and love and let that shine in that neighborhood and those areas and and so that's why I'm doing these stories in these controversial areas because the world isn't just a smiling rainbow anymore.

David Solomon: 35:01

Now there are gonna be happy stories where they're just amazing and they're gonna get butterflies in your stomach and go, whoa that's really cool. But there are gonna be moments where it's gonna make you think and as a survivor of what I survived by trafficking it made me honestly a better person because I love more on people and I appreciate people more than I ever did. And that's how God used that to really open my eyes I saw the world really dark for a long time and then God really showed me through my wife through my family that there is hope out there and I hope to show that same hope through my writing and my creation and pass that on to the next generation my nine year old his book is out and he did the same thing and we're creating even now and he wanted to be a part of that change that changes and impact the culture and people and makes the world a better place being the voice for those that have none Justin truly thank you and and I'm honored to just uh work with voices for voices in whatever capacity we do.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes: 36:44

Yeah and we're grateful to be able to work with you mythical creatures around the world uh they're they just interconnect at at that human level and that's uh that's something that's hard to it's really hard to find and so it's really a miracle that we were able to uh find each other and uh yeah there's there's hard times and and there's times that are not quite quite uh as hard um and I I'm the same way of I looked at the world in a much darker view for quite a long time and uh through my mental challenges and still to this day uh make me appreciate a lot more than uh I had before doesn't mean I'm perfect and nobody's perfect no matter we know that there are some people out there that think they are but they're not um and and so once we get past that we we realize that we all have fault we all have sin there's things that we do really well and they're helpful and there's other things that are detractful and divide us and and so the more people we can bring together like you mentioned in I don't say faraway lands that uh people would never think of wanting to do uh a post in in uh in certain areas and and we're doing that and I think you know there's jealousy and envy that comes with that because people look at that and first all they're like well how dare you do that and then after that it comes down to the jealousy of like well I wish I would did that I wish there was a way like look they're actually doing the thing they're they're doing the thing and doing the thing is not an easy thing to do when there's all kinds of pressures just to you know pack up shop and just pretend like all you know none of this matters and uh and you and I are are in the same where we're like no it does matter and we're reaching more and more people uh we we had record sending month of downloads and and uh views of our of our show in October and I don't think it was by coincidence I I think that and know that uh there's uh there's higher powers that are behind all that and it's because we're bringing people together and we're not we're not dividing and if there is our topic where we may seem like we're dividing it's not by uh it's not by plan and it's not something that we set out to do and so we want to also say that as well but thanks to David Solomon for what he everything he's gone through to still be with us here today to do what he's doing talking about the hard topics which actually they're act not that hard they're the they're just the same it's okay we're writing we're putting a post for one country okay so we're gonna put a post for another country there's really I mean characters and and the folklore and the cities and the countries their part's different but as far as the post it gets posted the exact same way you have to go through a certain process and then you insert it and you upload it and and then you you tag and you pick the location uh and so all that is is the same just like coming down to human nature of there are human beings regardless of what the political landscape is for any country or or territory and uh we at Voices for Voices David bringing uh together uh mythical creatures around the world if you heard that you heard around the world and so that makes complete sense of why there are different myths and folklores about countries territories around the world is it's right there in the title all you have to do is open your eyes or have somebody whisper in in your ear if uh if you're unable to uh if you're unable to see uh that when you hear about the world that does not that doesn't mean one particular area that means the world so get out your atlas go to uh google earth go and look at the world and look at that globe and give it a spin and see all the all the water all the land all the territories all the all the countries and we're all connected as human beings so thank you for joining us David thank you for watching our viewers our listeners we truly do appreciate each and every one of you no matter how long you you watch if you just watch for a minute or 30 seconds the fact that you're even spending any time with us we really do appreciate that because we know that the world has a lot of things and uh to uh find your way to voices for voices the mythical creatures around the world uh it's uh it's it's truly remarkable and we uh it's not lost on us we uh we we like what we do we love what we do which is why we're why we're doing it and why we're trying to reach people across the the entire world not just in certain uh picking certain areas so until next time this is Justin Alan Hayes with Voices for Voices we were joined by David Solomon best known for his writings his creating uh mythical creatures around the world uh the 98000 followers we recommend if you're not a follower you go on on the Facebook if you don't have Facebook create a Facebook account just so you can add uh and follow mythical creatures around the world uh we promise you won't be disappointed uh once you actually truly see what uh what what we're seeing and what we're sharing because it truly is bringing people together and the more you can share uh the better uh better connected us as a a human race is and we thank you once again and please check out other episodes and our catalog and we would really appreciate you smash that subscribe button give us a thumbs up follow like share all those things are free they help David they help us they help mythical creatures around the world they help voices for voices they help us in that grassroots effort to get to that point where we are able and we're gonna hit that mark of helping three billion people over the course of my lifetime and beyond we're gonna eclipse that you might say well that's crazy well we were only supposed to have 300 total episodes by the end of calendar year 2025 and we're gonna be a hundred episodes over so uh you can't discount people that are dreaming and people that are achieving their dreams and so there's something that you want to do you've always wanted to go visit if you're able to do it do it don't listen to uh other people that are dragging you down that are toxic they either don't understand they don't want to understand they want you to do what they want to do not what you want to do uh and you can do it so whatever you want to do put your mind to it reach out if you want to be on the show we'd love to have you as another voice to share we'd love to have you so please reach out and we will see you on our next episode and also check out our TikTok account we have been from time to time been doing TikTok lives uh in there again you won't be disappointed so we'll see you next time everybody thank you so much