4 Creepy Korean Urban Legends That Will Make Your Skin Crawl

Is anyone else suddenly very itchy? 👀

Deep down, we all love to be scared, right? For lack of a better word, it’s a fun distraction from reality and a nice reminder that things could always be worse.

1. Sesame seed skin

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The story goes that a woman who was obsessed with youth and beauty consulted a healer about how to stay beautiful. The healer suggested that the woman soak herself in a bath of sesame seeds. Excited at the prospect of this affordable and easy method, the woman immediately goes home to coat herself in sesame seeds in the bath. After some time passes, her mother knocks on the door to check on her. The woman responds that she’ll be out soon. After repeating this several times, the woman’s mother becomes exasperated and unlocks the bathroom door to check on her… Only to find her daughter frantically pulled sesame seeds, which have rooted themselves into her pores, out of her skin.

2. Cockroach facial mask

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There was a person who experienced terrible acne their whole life. This person stumbled across a promising new method of skin cleansing, which said that all they needed to do was put a cockroach on his pillow before bed. Desperate for solutions, they gave the method a try. The next morning, they found that their skin problems had cleared overnight! The following day, they awoke to discomfort and itching on their face. After taking a closer look, they discovered that their skin had been filled with roach eggs.

3. The red pen

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This is one of the more commonly known urban legends. You should never, never write your name in red ink. Why? Because it’s bad luck. Red ink is used to write the name of the deceased, and if you write your name in red ink… well, you know.

4. Red surgical mask

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The red surgical mask is a cautionary tale similar to that of Japan’s Slit-Mouthed Woman. A woman with long, dark hair wearing a red surgical mask will ask you if she’s pretty. If you say yes, she’ll remove her mask to show her face, which has been slashed from ear-to-ear. When you inevitably try to run away, she will chase after you with a scalpel.